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!
‘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.’
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.’
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.
__________________________
To respond with love
The Samaritans heard that Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem, the place they hated, and they refused to welcome Him into their village and homes. Jesus’ disciples saw what happened, became furious and wanted to punish them for their rejection. However, Jesus simply went on to another village. Today, religious intolerance and racism are on the rise. May invisible walls of resentment and distrust separate people. In our personal lives, we also experience anger and resentment against others who reject us for one reason or another. Often, we seek vengeance and refuse to forgive those who reject and hurt us.
We look at Jesus’ response to the rejections of others. He never allowed anger and fury to dictate His words and actions. Instead, He chose not to react but to respond with understanding and compassion. May we never react with self-righteous judgment but follow the loving way of Jesus in the face of rejection and intolerance.
Reflective question:
How can I handle rejection and hostility with compassion?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
