Coffee With God

Reflection: Matthew 11:20-24

We do agree that God works miracles in our lives. We might go on with our poetic language and say, every moment of our life is a miracle of God! Yes indeed! But what is important is to determine how do we respond to God’s miracles. The signs and wonders of Jesus in the Gospels were always with a purpose – to elicit a response from the people, a change of behaviour, a conversion of heart. After healing the lepers or the paralysed we listen to Jesus saying, “Do not sin again.” Jesus never worked a miracle to impress, but only to convert a heart back to God or to bring people into deeper union with God. Even in the Old Testament, the signs and wonders worked by Yahweh were intended to bring about a response of faith and trust from Israel. But, the people Israel and the listeners of Jesus became so accustomed to these signs, losing sight of their purpose. Thus, in the Gospel today we hear Jesus raising a warning for the people of those regions. They refused to pay attention to the message of God, and failed to change their behaviour and return to God. Jesus sounded frustrated on the time and energy he spent on them going wasted – like the gardener who planted and cared for the fig tree gets frustrated when the tree failed to produce fruits (Luke 13:6-9). The Words of Jesus were an attempt to encourage his hearers’ conversion by shocking them. Matthew, while writing his Gospel had in the back of his mind those synagogues of Antioch that had turned their backs on the Christian message. Therefore, he makes use of the words of Jesus to discourage any laxity or negligence in the faith and in perseverance of the members of his own community. This leads us to think, what about us? How many opportunities, invitations to growth, to change, to conversion have I received from God through multiple channels and people? Do I take responsibility? Do I listen? Or am I like the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida or Capernaum – stiff-necked and hard-hearted? The worst attitude that we hold on to, is our refusal to accept that we are sinners and not wanting to regret, not wanting to convert, not wanting to change, not wanting to grow. There is no sin, however serious it may be, which God cannot forgive! The Word of God wants me to pay attention to the voices and signs of God and amend my ways to move closer to Him.