“Alas for you Chorazin and Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had taken place in
Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
But I assure you, for Tyre and Sidon; it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the
day of judgment than for you.

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the
place of the dead! For if the miracles which were performed in you had been performed
in Sodom, it would still be there today! But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom
on the day of judgment than for you.”

Reflect

Today’s first reading makes me think about the brave women who are part of this story
and its background. The backstory for this reading is the decree by the king of Egypt
that all male children born to the Hebrews should be killed at birth. The Hebrew
midwives, however, refused to obey this evil command. Moses’ mother and sister
Miriam are next in this line of brave women as they take steps to ensure that the infant
Moses will survive. Even Pharoah’s daughter showed courage, being willing to adopt
Moses, even though she knew that it went against her father’s command.

Our lives are filled with people who perform courageous deeds that protect and nurture
others. Most of their names don’t make the history books or the evening news,
but their lack of public attention does not diminish their impact. Let us think back on
the brave people who have made our lives better, thank God for them, and ask for the
grace to follow their examples.

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