entered a Samaritan village to prepare a lodging for him. But the people would not receive
him, because he was on his way to Jerusalem. Seeing this, James and John, his disciples,
said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to reduce them to ashes?” Jesus
turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.
Reflect
Too often we see things as binary opposites. There is good and bad, friend and enemy,
positive and negative. We don’t allow for any discernment. We want to make instant
decisions, putting people, events, and things, into predetermined categories. That is
what James and John try to do, putting the residents of the Samaritan village into the
enemy category to justify destroying them. But that is not Jesus’ way. He desires us to
be one in him, not focusing on our differences but on the things that unite us in common
purpose. We have so much to learn from today’s Gospel. Snap judgments do not allow
for the fraternal love to which we are called. It does not respect the dignity that our
brothers and sisters deserve as children of God. When we look at people, no matter
how poor and vulnerable, how different they are from us, we should see them as God
sees them and offer our loving service.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023