In today's Gospel, Jesus rebukes the cities that had received wonderful benefits but had not converted. He echoes:
«Woe to you, Corazin! Woe to you Bethsaida!» (Mt 11:21).
Judgment is on the horizon!
Francis of Assisi, profoundly grateful to God for having drawn him from the polite and carefree life of the world to the service of the Gospel, even he one day reproached those immersed in vice and worldliness who made no sign of conversion.
The Sources, through the Major Legend, narrate on this subject:
"At the time when the Saint was lying ill in Rieti, they brought to him, lying on a cot, a canon, named Gideon, who was vicious and worldly and suffering from a serious illness.
The canon wept and begged him, together with those present, to bless him with the sign of the cross.
But the saint replied to him:
«How will I be able to mark you with the cross, if until now you have lived following the instincts of the flesh, without fear of God's judgements?
In any case, because of the devotion and prayers of these people who intercede for you, I will bless you with the sign of the cross in the name of the Lord.
You, however, know that you will meet with greater chastisements if, once healed, you return to vomiting. For the sin of ingratitude always deserves worse punishments than the former».
As soon as he had made the sign of the cross on him, he who lay shrivelled up rose up healed and, bursting into the praises of God, exclaimed:
«I am healed!» [...]
But he, after some time, forgot God and again indulged in impudence.
Well, one evening when he had gone to dine at the house of another canon and had stayed there to spend the night, suddenly the roof of the house collapsed.
But while all the others managed to escape death, only that wretch was caught and killed.
By God's righteous judgement, that man's last condition was worse than the first, because of the sin of ingratitude and contempt for God, since it is necessary to be thankful for the forgiveness received, and the repeated crime is doubly displeasing' (FF 1192).
In the end, only his Mercy will remain at arm's length with Justice.
«Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you» (Mt 11:22)
Tuesday of the 15th wk. in O.T. (Mt 11:20-24)
