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Without beauty religion becomes moralistic, flat. Do you wonder how beauty works with goodness and truth? Beauty is the persuasive power of God's truth and goodness. So beauty is in the end about honesty, about seeing what is actually there and being true to one's response to it.
- Catherine Michaud, The Art of Making Life Beautiful
(Look for the beauty within and about you this day . . . starting now.)
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Bar 1:15-22; Psalm 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9
LK 10:13-16
Jesus said to them,
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.’
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“If the miracles worked in your midst had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have reformed in sackcloth and ashes.” —Luke 10:13
Jesus chastised some towns where He did many miracles. He expected these miracles to be translated into repentance (Lk 10:13). We likewise need to repent. We have sinned repeatedly but are hardly aware of it. We may not even feel very sorry. We are “hard and impenitent” (Rm 2:5). Hopefully, we will come to our senses when Jesus heals us. We will feel ashamed of rebelling against and rejecting Jesus, Who was wounded that we may
be healed (1 Pt 2:24).
When we’re healed, we will see the incongruity between His love and our sin. Healing will at first make us happy, but later we will be “filled with a sorrow” that comes from God (2 Cor 7:9). This sadness will lead to repentance (2 Cor 7:9). “Indeed, sorrow for God’s sake produces a repentance without regrets, leading to salvation” (2 Cor 7:10). “Just look at the fruit of this sorrow which stems from God. What a measure of
holy zeal it has brought you” (2 Cor 7:11).
“Justice is with the Lord, our God; and we today are flushed with shame” (Bar 1:15). We “have sinned in the Lord’s sight and disobeyed Him” (Bar 1:17-18). Lord, have mercy one more time.
Prayer: “Heal me, Lord, that I may be healed; save me, that I may be saved, for it is You Whom I praise” (Jer 17:14).
Promise: “He who hears you, hears Me. He who rejects you, rejects Me. And he who rejects Me, rejects Him Who sent Me.” —Lk 10:16
Presentation Ministries
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Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
- by Philip St. Romain. Liguori Publ., 1986.
9. Don’t Worry Uselessly
“If the smallest things are beyond your power, why be anxious about the rest?” (Luke 12:26)
Worry is, perhaps, the most common manifestation of fear in our lives. It is fear directed toward negative possibilities in the future.
It is only natural that we worry, however. As Jesus’ statement above points out, we have no control even over little things, and that’s scary. We can do a few things to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. Even so, accidents, sickness, and health are, for the most part, out of our hands.
Here are some good reasons why not to worry:
- It doesn’t do any good. In fact, it can do great harm by creating negative expectations that bring about their own fulfillment.
- It robs us of our ability to live fully in the now. If we cannot live well in a now-moment, we will not be able to make an adequate response in those future circumstances that we so dread.
- God’s providence does rule our lives. Everything will work out in the long run.
We should remember that the future about which we worry so much is not yet real. We must make preparations to live it when it comes, but we should do so in trust that we will have what we need when we need it.
Suggested Practices
- Pray for the grace to trust that God will take care of all those circumstances you do not control.
- Learn to discipline your anxious thoughts. Invite your worries to present the worst possible case to you, and then say firmly: “It doesn’t really matter,” or “There’s nothing I can do about it,” or “This, too, shall pass away,’’ or “I’ll be OK.” Any legitimate concerns that persist after this treatment can then be faced without unnecessary
anxiety.
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