Gospel: Mt 11:16-19
JESUS said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
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Jesus laments an unresponsive audience. They are like children accusing each other for not responding appropriately to their music. They intentionally misinterpret John the Baptist, calling him possessed when he preached repentance without fanfare and gimmick. They now call Jesus bad names when he sits down with sinners, eating and drinking with them.
The people do not read well God’s presence to them. They do not understand God’s message. They do not appreciate God’s noble purpose for them, which is none other than salvation, and so they do not reform.
When God sends prophets or ministers to us, we should not take them for granted. Our proper response to their message and warning is repentance. We must make adjustments, fine tuning or radical change of paradigms, ways of thinking and living.
We cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven if we stick to the status quo, doing the same things as if God has not spoken to us. We must dance to the Lord’s music when it is played. It is wise to listen. It is foolish not to respond graciously to God’s invitation.
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2018,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
