First reading Zechariah 8:20-23
Many peoples and great nations will come to seek the Lord of Hosts
The Lord of Hosts says this:
‘There will be other peoples yet, and citizens of great cities. And the inhabitants of one city will go to the next and say, “Come, let us go and entreat the favour of the Lord, and seek the Lord of Hosts; I am going myself.” And many peoples and great nations will come to seek the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favour of the Lord.’
The Lord of Hosts says this:
‘In those days, ten men of nations of every language will take a Jew by the sleeve and say, “We want to go with you, since we have learnt that God is with you.”’
Responsorial Psalm 86(87)
God is with us.
On the holy mountain is his city
cherished by the Lord.
The Lord prefers the gates of Zion
to all Jacob’s dwellings.
Of you are told glorious things,
O city of God!
God is with us.
‘Babylon and Egypt I will count
among those who know me;
Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia,
these will be her children
and Zion shall be called “Mother”
for all shall be her children.’
God is with us.
It is he, the Lord Most High,
who gives each his place.
In his register of peoples he writes:
‘These are her children,’
and while they dance they will sing:
‘In you all find their home.’
God is with us.
Gospel Luke 9:51-56
Jesus sets out for Jerusalem
As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.
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Walking the way of Jesus
In today’s gospel, James and John were upset that the people in a Samaritan village refused to welcome Jesus and the disciples. These two disciples wanted to seek vengeance by punishing these people. Jesus rebuked them, and He went on to another village. By doing so, Jesus was living out what He taught and preached. He loved in the face of rejection instead of seeking revenge.
When we are rejected by others or hurt by their actions and words, we tend to be angry and want to strike back at them. Let us learn from Jesus’ response in today’s passage. Jesus did not call down fire onto the village as requested by the disciples because He neither gave in to His feelings of frustration nor allowed Himself to be swayed by the reactions of others. He simply moved on to another place. Thus, let us also learn to move on as Jesus did and to have His same compassionate love in us.
Question for reflection:
How can I become more Christ-like in my attitudes and reactions?
How can I become more Christ-like in my attitudes and reactions?
