Then 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 netherworld.’ 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.”

"In the day, in the night, say it right. Say it all. You either got it or you don’t. You either stand or you fall; when your will is broken, when it slips from your hand, when there’s no time for joking, there’s a hole in the plan. Oh, you don’t mean nothing at all to me, but you got what it takes to set me free, oh, you could mean everything to me." 

What could have been if you or I had done it differently: such is the message of much of life. So much depends on choices that we make. As we look back on the way we chose--for whatever reason--the chances are that if we had chosen differently, our lives would be totally different that they are right now.

Jesus was interested in people repenting of evil actions. Much of his message dealt with people choosing correctly so that unwanted consequences would not result. He looked at the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, towns that he had worked in, the townspeople he had preached to, and he saw that his preaching was in vain. His lament was what "could have been" if they would only have listened. The towns of Tyre and Sidon, long ago destroyed because of their lack of faith could have still been standing if the people had simply repented and turned to God. Likewise, he says, the people of his day could have eternal life if they had only realized what they were doing.

In our lives, the idea of "what could have been" not only encompasses communication. Indeed, if we would communicate better, our lives could be so much better. But "what could have been" extends to our other choices as well. If we dwell on "what we could have done" or "what we should have done," we may discover some things that can help us be the people that we want to be. We may discover what Jesus wanted the townspeople of his day to discover--if we want to have life, we may have to repent and change our behavior.                

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son wanted us to look at what could have been had we chosen to live a little bit better than we did. Give us the grace to honestly look at what we have done, and help us choose in the future only those things that will help us gain your presence forever. Be with us, we pray.

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America