Homily on Matthew 11:20–24 : Woe, Woe, Woe (15-7-25)

 A moving homily on Matthew 11:20–24 – What Jesus’ warning to Chorazin and Bethsaida means for us today

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

One evening, a fire broke out in a quiet village. Everyone rushed with pots and buckets of water, trying to put out the flames. Among them was an old man who could barely walk properly. He carried only a small bucket and walked slowly, back and forth. A young man standing nearby laughed at him and said, “Do you really think your little bucket will stop the fire?” The old man replied calmly, “It may not, but when I stand before God, I want to say that I did not just watch while my village burned.”

That reply touches something deep in the heart. It reminds us of one word from today’s Gospel that is easily skipped over. The word is woe. Jesus says, “Woe to you, Chorazin, Woe to you, Bethsaida” These words are said loud may not with anger, but they are soft with sorrow. They come from a heart that has loved, that has done miracles, that has offered the Kingdom of God, and still finds no change in the life of His dear people.

We need to understand that Jesus is not speaking to outsiders.  But, He is speaking to towns that saw Him, touched Him, and walked with Him and where He worked many miracles. These people were not strangers to grace and they were close to God, yet far in the heart. And it is because of that His words carry pain. Jesus says that if the mighty works done in Chorazin and Bethsaida had been done in Tyre and Sidon, those cities would have repented.

 Dear friends let us reflect on this, Jesus is sure that the sinful cities, the places known for evil, would have turned back to God if they had just a little of what we have. So now, we must ask ourselves and reflect deeply, what about us? We have churches in every village, we have Bibles on our shelves, and we have retreats, confessions, spiritual direction and so on.  But has anything truly changed in us? If Jesus looked at me, would He say, “Woe to you”? Would He say it with a broken heart, knowing that I have received so much and still resist real conversion?

St. Augustine said something very meaningful. He said, “God who created you without you will not save you without you.” That means God offers His grace freely, but He waits for our response. He does not force the heart, but He invites, He gives signs, He speaks through His Word, through suffering, through blessings. But in the end, we/ one must say yes.

The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida enjoyed the presence of Jesus, but they did not change. They received miracles, but they did not turn their hearts fully to Jesus. This is the tragedy, they were not great sinners, but they remained the same even after they experienced great miracles and the mighty works of God.

We are not called to be great in the eyes of others. But we are called to be faithful to the grace we receive. We do not need to perform mighty works. We only need to give a response to the love God shows us daily. Let us not be like the towns in the Gospel that saw everything and changed nothing. Let us not be people who admire Jesus but never follow Him. Let our lives show that we have received something beautiful and we are doing something beautiful based on that.

Lord, let me respond positively to your blessings. Amen.

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God Bless…