Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Matthew (11: 20-24) in which Jesus reproaches the towns where most of his miracles had been worked because they refused to repent.

Fr Paul says, the failure of the Jews to respond to the Messiah was one of the sadness’s of the first Christian generation.

So, in today’s Gospel we hear Jesus, lamenting over Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. They are all places where Jesus had preached and worked his miracles, but they are also the places that refused to repent. They refused to listen.

The Gospel makes us reflect that when Jesus has wanted to be part of our lives – how have we responded? Have we ignored him? Have I kept things to myself?

Or, Fr Paul asks, have we been open to God’s presence? Have I been open and accepting of his message?