Tuesday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time
Liturgical Colour: Green
Year: A (II)
First Reading — Isaiah 7:1–9
Isaiah tells the king not to fear.
In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Razon the king of Aram went up against Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to lay siege to it; but he was unable to capture it.
The news was brought to the House of David. "Aram has reached Ephraim." Then the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees of the forest shudder before the wind.
The Lord said to Isaiah, "Go with your son Shear-jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the Fuller's Field road, and say to him:
'Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear, do not let your heart sink because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands, or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have plotted to ruin you and have said: "Let us invade Judah and terrorise it and seize it for ourselves, and set up a king there, the son of Tabeel."
The Lord says this:
"It shall not come true; it shall not be. The capital of Aram is Damascus, the head of Damascus, Razon; the capital of Ephraim, Samaria, the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah. Six or five years more and a shattered Ephraim shall no longer be a people.
But if you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all."'"
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 47(48):2–8
Response: God upholds his city for ever.
The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain rises in beauty, the joy of all the earth.
Response: God upholds his city for ever.
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King's city! God, in the midst of its citadels, has shown himself its stronghold.
Response: God upholds his city for ever.
For the kings assembled together, together they advanced. They saw; at once they were astounded; dismayed, they fled in fear.
Response: God upholds his city for ever.
A trembling seized them there, like the pangs of birth. By the east wind you have destroyed the ships of Tarshish.
Response: God upholds his city for ever.
Gospel Acclamation — cf. Psalm 94:8
Alleluia, alleluia!
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Alleluia!
Gospel — Matthew 11:20–24
It will not go as hard with Sodom on Judgement Day as with you.
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. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement Day with Tyre and Sidon as with you.
And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted as high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell. For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom on Judgement Day as with you."
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Reflection
One sentence from today's first reading seems especially relevant in a world filled with uncertainty: "Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear." King Ahaz received frightening news. Two powerful kingdoms were threatening Judah, and the nation was paralysed by fear. Isaiah describes their hearts shaking "as the trees of the forest shudder before the wind." It is a vivid image because fear often does exactly that. It overwhelms our thinking, magnifies every problem and convinces us that disaster is inevitable.
God does not deny that the danger is real. Instead, He asks the king to trust that the situation is still under His authority. The challenge is summed up in one remarkable sentence: "If you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all." Faith is not pretending that problems do not exist. Faith is choosing to stand on God's promises rather than allowing fear to dictate our decisions.
The Gospel reveals a different danger—not fear, but familiarity. Jesus speaks harshly to Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum because they had witnessed extraordinary miracles yet remained unchanged. They had seen God's power with their own eyes, but amazement never became repentance.
This can quietly happen in our own lives. We hear the Scriptures every Sunday, receive the Eucharist, pray familiar prayers and celebrate the liturgical seasons year after year. These are tremendous gifts, yet they can become routine if we stop allowing them to challenge us. Knowing the Gospel is not the same as living it. The greatest danger for a Christian is not ignorance but indifference.
Perhaps the question today's Gospel asks is not, "Have I seen God at work?" Most of us could point to moments of answered prayer, unexpected peace or blessings we did not deserve. The deeper question is, "What has God's grace changed in me?" Am I becoming more patient? More forgiving? More generous? More willing to trust when life feels uncertain?
God rarely transforms us overnight. Just as a tree grows gradually, Christian maturity develops through countless small acts of faith. Every time we choose prayer over panic, forgiveness over resentment, honesty over convenience or hope over despair, the Holy Spirit is quietly reshaping our hearts.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that faith is a personal response to God who reveals Himself and invites us into communion with Him (CCC 150–152). It also reminds us that conversion is not a one-time event but an ongoing turning of the heart towards God throughout our lives (CCC 1427–1429). Every encounter with Christ calls us to take another step forward.
Today's readings invite us to resist two temptations. The first is allowing fear to control our lives. The second is becoming so familiar with God's gifts that we stop responding to them. The Lord continues to speak, guide and transform those who keep their hearts open. His invitation remains the same as it was for King Ahaz: trust Me, stand with Me, and do not be afraid.
One Line to Carry Today
The heart that trusts God in times of fear will remain open to His transforming grace.
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