Memorial of St. Lucy,
virgin and martyr
(Isaiah 48:17-19; Matthew 11:16-19)
People make amusing excuses for not exercising regularly. They may say that in the morning they do not
have enough time to exercise and that in the evening they are too busy with obligations. Or, perhaps, they comment that mornings are
too cold and evenings too warm for physical exertion. Doctors, no doubt, wonder
if patients like these really care about their health.
Jesus feels this kind of frustration in the gospel passage
today.
Jesus tells the people that they are fickle because they refuse
to repent of their sins despite the testimony of God’s best preachers. John, who warned of God’s wrath, was rejected
because he lived in the desert eating grasshoppers and honey. Now Jesus, who urges the people to repent so
that they could experience God’s goodness, is repudiated for eating and
drinking in towns among the people.
People must face up to the challenge of repentance. No doubt it is hard because it means giving
up a way of life that we know, even if it does not bring comfort, for something
new and possibly disagreeable. However, doing
what is right and good can only bring us satisfaction in the long run. Repentance for sure will not harm us. Quite the contrary, it promises us integrity
and transcendence.
