Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Today's Mass Readings

1 Cor 12:31—13:13 + Lk 7:31-35

We wonder how our Gospel today is putting us, our “generation” of believers, in question.

Jesus told those of his generation, the people of his time, that they were refusing to listen and choose. He compared them to children who were stubborn and wanted things their own way. They would not really listen. The Prophet, Ezekiel, had put it like this:

My people come to you, gathering as a crowd and sitting in front of you to hear your words, but they will not act on them. Love songs are on their lips, but in their hearts, they pursue dishonest gain.

We humans really have a hard time listening to the truth that comes in our hearing. Whether it’s a truth about our medical condition or a truth about our behavior in a relationship, it can be hard to hear the truth. It’s about change and we have gotten comfortable in the position we’ve acted from.

The tragedy is that when we become too welded into our own ways of thinking we can miss the call of God. God is eternal Wisdom and his children listen to him:

Now with you is Wisdom, who knows your works and was present when you made the world; Who understands what is pleasing in your eyes and what is conformable with your commands. (Wis. 9:9)

Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB