26th Week in Ordinary Time (B) : Friday 1st October 2021

It is a rare sight to see an entire nation and people confess their guilt and pledge repentance. The exiled Israelites in Babylon had concluded that they were responsible for their terrible situation. They had disobeyed God continually. They had not kept God’s commandments and all the divine law details but preferred to go their own way.

Now they were paying the consequences, but they had taken the first steps towards recovering their relationship with God. Nations and religious communities today could benefit from this sort of repentance. We need to be humble enough to admit our own errors and sins to God and other people. Only then can healing take place.

Bethsaida and Chorazin were in trouble. We dont know what their sins were, but it doesn’t matter. Their greatest sin was their refusal to repent despite the miraculous deeds that Jesus worked in their midst. Jesus was God’s representative, and rejecting him in this way was the same as rejecting God. Not everyone is impressed by miracles or deeds of divine power. Our hearts must be open and prepared to receive the signs and gifts that God gives us.

Lord, may I be quick to ask for forgiveness and to grant it to others.