Today’s Gospel is not one often quoted as a favorite. It contains the reproaches of Jesus to the faithless. We hear: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!” Honestly, our first thought when hearing this may be: “Glad I am not one of those two towns!” However, to do so would be missing the point or even proving it.
If these words of our Lord were recorded in the Gospel, then they are for all of us to hear. This does not mean that we ought to receive them with fear and shame, but rather with honest and authentic hearts. What does our precious Savior want us to hear?
Mighty Deeds
Three times in the Gospel passage are the words “mighty deeds,” referring to countless instances where Christ acted in a powerful way and yet His people refused to respond in repentant faith.
What are His mighty deeds? Consider everything from the wide lens of the wonder of creation to the many personal and unique ways he faithfully demonstrates His love in our everyday lives. To list His mighty deeds would be a task with no end, and yet let us consider this: how often do we fail to acknowledge even a fraction of these mighty deeds?
To regularly acknowledge how Christ acts not only in Salvation History but also in our lives is not just a good thing to do, but a critical component of our spiritual lives. Those familiar with St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Examen prayer practice this habit of seeking to detect God’s presence in the events of daily life. These, indeed, are His mighty deeds! When we take time to acknowledge His actions, we will harvest great fruit, two of which are gratitude and faith.
Gratitude
Countless saints and holy ones have urged us in this endeavor of cultivating gratitude as it has the power to supercharge our spiritual journey by increasing our experience of intimacy with Christ. There are certainly no words better than theirs, so let us hear from a few of them:
- “In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks.” – St. Teresa of Avila
- “O my God, let me remember with gratitude and confess to thee thy mercies toward me.” – St. Augustine of Hippo
- “Get used to lifting your heart to God, in acts of thanksgiving, many times a day.” – St. Josemaria Escriva
- “Thank God ahead of time.” – Blessed Solanus Casey.
- “The best way to show my gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy.” – St. Theresa of Calcutta.
We can see that thanking God always for everything – from creation to His gifts specifically for each of us, from our crosses to what He will provide in the future, all of it increases our capacity to receive His love and to love Him in return. Even Albert Einstein observed: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle.” When we are cognizant of the excesses of His love, it becomes a natural channel to extraordinary faith.
Faith
Faith must be the bedrock from which we respond to life. Simply put, faith means looking at our Heavenly Father through the eyes of childlike trust. It means living our life from the “Fiat: Let it be done.” Let it be done, Father, because I trust in You, not myself. Let it be done because You always work for our good.
The last verse in today’s first reading from Isaiah proclaims: “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm.” When we are firm in faith, built upon thanksgiving, then our hearts will naturally become hearts of flesh – repentant hearts that are humble, sincere, and that reflect the love of God in the world.
(Note: Consider looking up the song & lyrics by Peter Mayer called Holy Now on YouTube, Spotify, or your preferred music streaming app. It encapsulates how our perspective shifts dramatically when our eyes are opened to the concrete ways our Father acts in our lives.)
[Readings for Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week: Isaiah 7:1-9; Mathewt 11:20-24]
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