St. Francis of Assisi 

*** 1st Reading ***

Baruch 1: 15-22

 You will say: May everyone recognize the justice of our God

but, on this day, shame and confusion befit the men of Judah and the inhab­itants of Jerusalem – our kings and princes, our priests, our prophets, and our fathers,  because we have sinned before the Lord.  

We have disobeyed him and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, nor have we followed the com­mandments which the Lord had put before us.  From the day that the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until this day, we have disobeyed the Lord our God and we have rebelled against him instead of listening to his voice.

 Because of this, from the day on which the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, so as to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, the evils and the curse which the Lord pronounced by Moses, his servant, have dogged our footsteps right down to the present day.  

We did not listen to the voice of the Lord our God speaking through the words of the prophets whom he sent to us,  but each one of us followed his perverted heart, serving false gods and doing what displeases the Lord our God.

 

 Ps 79 For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

 

**** Gospel ****

 Luke 10: 13-16

Alas for you Chorazin! Alas for you Bethsaida! So many miracles have been worked in you! If the same miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would already be sitting in ashes and wear­ing the sackcloth of repentance.

 Surely for Tyre and Sidon it will be better on the Day of Judgment than for you . And what of you, city of Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead.

 Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me; and he who rejects me, rejects the one who sent me.”

 

Reflection gospel:

“WHOEVER LISTENS TO YOU LISTENS TO ME.”

There are harsh consequences when one closes one’s heart and life to God. and closing one’s heart and life to God means rejection of and resisting CHANGE. It is an imperative for the life of one who knows Jesus and who professes faith in Jesus to transform.

This is why knowing Jesus only is not enough and accepting Jesus only also is not enough. It must result to a revolution that leads to authentic, if not dramatic, conversion. One good example can be seen in the life of the saint we celebrate today, St. Francis of Assisi whose life of conversion is much to be admired as a result of knowing Jesus.

We too have encountered Jesus and are in fact, encountering Jesus still in many ways. But if that encounter does not move us into becoming the best that we can be as his followers, we are no better than Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.

But if that encounter inspires us to live better lives, with unwavering commitment to Christ like St. Francis, ours will be a great reward on the Day of Judgment.