July 14, 2026
Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin [In the
Dioceses of the United States]
Lectionary: 390
Reading 1
In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of
Uzziah,
Rezin, king of Aram,
and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah,
went up to attack Jerusalem,
but they were not able to conquer it.
When word came to the house of David that Aram
was encamped in Ephraim,
the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,
as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.
Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz,
you and your son Shear-jashub,
at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,
on the highway of the fuller’s field, and say to him:
Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear;
let not your courage fail
before these two stumps of smoldering brands
the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans,
and of the son Remaliah,
because of the mischief that
Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah,
plots against you, saying,
“Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force,
and appoint the son of Tabeel king there.”
Thus says the LORD:
This shall not stand, it shall not be!
Damascus is the capital of Aram,
and Rezin is the head of Damascus;
Samaria is the capital of Ephraim,
and Remaliah’s son the head of Samaria.
But within sixty years and five,
Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation.
Unless your faith is firm
you shall not be firm!
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 9d) God upholds his city for ever.
Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,”
is the city of the great King.
God is with her castles;
renowned is he as a stronghold.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
For lo! the kings assemble,
they come on together;
They also see, and at once are stunned,
terrified, routed.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Quaking seizes them there;
anguish, like a woman’s in labor,
As though a wind from the east
were shattering ships of Tarshish.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum:
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the nether world.
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071426.cfm
Commentary on Isaiah
7:1-9
Today’s reading seems to describe mainly a historical
situation, but there is a lesson which is brought out at the end. The incident
refers to what is known as the Syro-Ephraimite War which probably took place in
the years 735-34 BC. Rezin (or Razon, depending on the biblical
translation) was king of Aram (Syria) and Pekah (752-732 BC) was king of
Ephraim, another name for Israel or the Northern Kingdom. Syria and
Israel were trying to persuade King Ahaz of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, to
join them in an alliance against the powerful king of Assyria who had eyes on
land lying to the west of his empire. Israel was afraid that Ahaz might
go into a counter-alliance with Assyria, which was not an unlikely possibility.
When the news reached “the house of David”, i.e. King Ahaz
in Jerusalem, that Syria and Israel-Ephraim were on his doorstep:
…the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as
the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
Their fear was justified because Ahaz had earlier been
soundly defeated by the Syrian-Israel alliance.
It is at this point that Isaiah is told by God to meet Ahaz
at an aqueduct where the king was probably inspecting the city’s water supply
(rather important if a siege was in the offing). Its exact location is
not now known. The “fuller’s (or washerman’s) field” refers to a place
where the citizens did their laundry. Clothes were cleaned by trampling
on them in cold water and using a kind of soap (soda) or bleach called
‘fuller’.
With him Isaiah brings one of his sons, Shear-jashub.
Each of Isaiah’s sons was given a symbolic and prophetic name and this one
means ‘A remnant will return’. It indicates a prophecy that one day a
small number of Jews would return to Israel and escape the punishment which
most of the population has deserved.
Isaiah has words of comfort for Ahaz. The two
countries threatening him, powerful though they seem to be, are merely
“smouldering stumps of firebrands”. Their fire has gone out; only the
smoke of dying embers remains. And, in fact, Damascus, the capital of
Syria (Aram), was overcome by Tiglath-Pileser III in 732 BC and Israel, the
Northern Kingdom, was badly defeated in the same year. Isaiah was issuing
no empty threats.
Although the Syrian-Israel alliance intends to put the “son
of Tabeel” (probably a courtier from Syria) on Ahaz’s throne, it will not
happen, says Isaiah. Tabeel is an Aramaic name sometimes linked with the
‘land of Tob’, on the east side of the Jordan.
Isaiah then proceeds to make a prophecy indicating that the
Syrian-Ephraim alliance will not succeed:
It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
At this time, the capital or ‘head’ of Syria was Damascus
and Rezin was the head of Damascus. Samaria was the capital or ‘head’ of
Ephraim (Israel) and the “son of Remaliah” was the head of Samaria
(Ephraim/Israel). The irony of the words is that mere men head these
territories, while the real king of Judah-Jerusalem is not Ahaz, but Yahweh the
Lord God. Says God through his prophet:
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered, no
longer a people.
And indeed in the year 722 BC the city of Samaria
fell. Later still, about 670 BC, the Assyrian king settled foreign
colonies in Israel. The intermarriage of these settlers with the Jewish
remnant resulted in the “Samaritans”. The northern kingdom was no longer
a separate and distinct nation.
All of this is a warning to Ahaz that the same fate awaits
Judah unless he stands firm:
If you do not stand firm in faith,
you shall not stand at all.
The message is clear: Ahaz is to put his firm trust and
confidence in the protection of Yahweh, who alone has the power to save him and
his people. Unfortunately, the message will not be heeded.
In the prophets, faith is not so much a theoretical belief
in the existence and uniqueness of God as it is an attitude of confidence based
on God’s choice of Israel: he has chosen Israel, he is Israel’s God, and he
alone has the power to save his people. This unconditional trust, a
guarantee of salvation, excludes all reliance not only on human agency, but
still more on false gods.
We, too, cannot expect God to stand by us if we do not stand
by him. This is not to be interpreted as saying that God is touchy and
vindictive and that, if he feels insulted or ignored, he will abandon us or
bring some terrible punishment on us. It means that only when we are
fully on his side and his way is fully assimilated into our lives, will we find
the life he promises. If we insist on going our own way, he will not stop
us, but he will not be able to help us either. We will have shut
ourselves off from his loving help.
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Commentary on
Matthew 11:20-24
After the apostolic discourse of chapter 10, Matthew goes
back to narrative. In the passages preceding today’s Gospel reading, Jesus
reassures the disciples of John the Baptist, saying to them:
Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive
their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. (Matt
11:4)
In other words, he says that he is indeed “the one who is to
come”, the Messiah and Saviour-King.
This is followed by a passage where Jesus complains of those
who close their minds to God’s word. John the Baptist led the life of an
ascetic in the wilderness, and they did not listen to him. Jesus socialised
freely with all kinds of people, and they accused him of being a glutton and a
drunkard.
So today Jesus warns three towns where he spent much of his
time: Chorazin, Bethsaida and especially Capernaum. If Jesus had done in the
pagan towns of Tyre and Sidon what he had done in these predominantly Israelite
towns, they would have converted long ago. Even Sodom, the biblical image of
the very worst in immorality, would have done better.
It is important for us to realise that in this Gospel, Jesus
is primarily speaking to us today. If many non-Christians had
been given the opportunities that we have received through our membership in
the Christian community, they could very well be living much more generously than
we do.
To what extent are we listening to God’s word? How much of
it do we try to understand? And how much of it is reflected in our lifestyle?
Are we clearly and obviously followers of Christ and his Way?
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/o2153g/
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father, your light of truth guides us to the way of
Christ.
May all who follow him reject what is contrary to the
gospel.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 11: 20-24
Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his
miracles had been worked, because they refused to repent. 'Alas for you,
Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been
done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes. Still, I tell you that it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on
Judgement Day than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be raised as high
as heaven? You shall be flung down to hell. For if the miracles done in you had
been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. Still, I tell you that it
will be more bearable for Sodom on Judgement Day than for you.'
Reflection
• The
Discourse of the Mission occupies charter 10. Chapters 11 and 12 describe the
Mission which Jesus carried out and how he did it. The two chapters mention how
the people adhered to him, doubted the evangelizing action of Jesus, or
rejected it. John the Baptist, who looked at Jesus with the eyes of the past,
does not succeed in understanding him (Mt 11: 1-15). The people, who looked at
Jesus out of interest, were not capable to understand him (Mt 11: 16- 19). The
great cities around the lake, which listened to the preaching of Jesus and saw
his miracles, did not want to open themselves up to his message (this is the
text of today’s Gospel) (Mt 11: 20-24). The wise and the doctors, who appreciated
everything according to their own science, were not capable to understand the
preaching of Jesus (Mt 11: 25). The Pharisees, who trusted only in the
observance of the law, criticized Jesus (Mt 12: 1-8) and decided to kill him
(Mt 12: 9-14). They said that Jesus
acted in the name of Beelzebul (Mt 12: 2237). They wanted a proof in order to
be able to believe in him (Mt 12: 38-45). Not even his relatives supported him
(Mt 12: 46-50). Only the little ones and the simple people understood and
accepted the Good News of the Kingdom (Mt 11: 25-30). They followed him (Mt 12:
15-16) and saw in him the Servant announced by Isaiah (Mt 12: 17-21).
• This
way of describing the missionary activity of Jesus was a clear warning for the
disciples who together with Jesus walked through Galilee. They could not expect
a reward or praise for the fact of being missionaries of Jesus. This warning is
also valid for us who today read and meditate on this discourse of the Mission,
because the Gospels were written for all times. They invite us to confront the
attitude that we have with Jesus with the attitude of the persons who appear in
the Gospel and to ask ourselves if we are like John the Baptist (Mt 11: 1-15),
like the people who were interested (Mt 11, 16-19), like the unbelieving cities
(Mt 11: 20-24), like the doctors who thought they knew everything and
understood nothing (Mt 11: 25), like the Pharisees who only knew how to
criticize (Mt 12: 1-45) or like the simple people who went seeking for Jesus
(Mt 12 and 15) and that, with their wisdom, knew how to understand and accept
the message of the Kingdom (Mt 11: 25-30).
• Matthew
11: 20: The word against the cities which did not receive him. The space in
which Jesus moves during those three years of his missionary life was small;
only a few square kilometers along the Sea of Galilee around the cities of
Capernaum, Bethsaida and Chorazin. Only that! So it was in this very reduced
space where Jesus made the majority of his discourses and worked his miracles.
He came to save the whole of humanity, and almost did not get out of the
limited space of his land. Tragically, Jesus has to become aware that the
people of those cities did not want to accept the message of the Kingdom and
were not converted. The cities become more rigid in their beliefs, traditions
and customs and do not accept the invitation of Jesus to change life.
• Matthew
11: 21-24: Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum are worse than Tyre and Sidon. In
the past, Tyre and Sidon, inflexible enemies of Israel, ill-treated the People
of God. Because of this they were cursed by the prophets. (Is 23: 1; Jr 25: 22;
47: 4; Ex 26: 3; 27: 2; 28: 2; Jl 4: 4; Am 1: 10). And now Jesus says that
these cities, symbols of all evil, would have already been converted if in them
had been worked all the miracles which were worked in Chorazin and Bethsaida.
The city of Sodom, the symbol of the worse perversion, was destroyed by the
anger of God (Gn 18: 16-19, 29). And now Jesus says that Sodom would exist up
until now, because it would have been converted if it had seen the miracles
that Jesus worked in Capernaum. Today we still live this same paradox. Many of
us, who are Catholics since we were children, have many solid and firm
convictions, so much so that nobody is capable of converting us. And in some
places, Christianity, instead of being a source of change and of conversion,
becomes the refuge of the most reactionary forces of the politics of the
country.
Personal Questions
• How
do I place myself before the Good News of Jesus: like John the Baptist, like
the interested people, like the doctors, like the Pharisees or like the simple
and poor people?
• Do
my city, my country deserve the warning of Jesus against Capernaum, Chorazion
and Bethsaida?
Concluding Prayer
Great is Yahweh and most worthy of praise in the city of our
God, the holy mountain, towering in beauty, the joy of the whole world. (Ps 48:
1-2)
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