14 July 2026 Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Or Optional Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis Gospel: Matthew 11:20–24
Today is Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis. The Roman Martyrology tells us: Saint Camillus de Lellis (1550–1614) was born in Bucchianico, Italy, and spent his youth as a mercenary. Left destitute by gambling, he eventually found employment at a hospital for incurables in Rome. Influenced by Saint Philip Neri and other holy men, he was ordained a priest by Thomas Goldwell, the last of the old English Catholic bishops. In 1584, Saint Camillus founded the Servants of the Sick (the Camillians); the religious wear a red cross upon their breasts and vow to serve the sick, even at the cost of their lives.
Today’s passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew presents Jesus’ denunciation of the cities. I wish to take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
Jesus first denounces Chorazin and Bethsaida, and then mentions Tyre and Sidon, cities of the Gentiles in the Old Testament (cf. Matt 11:21). What did the people living in Chorazin and Bethsaida do? Though they experienced God’s infinite mercy daily in their lives, their spirits refused to repent and renounce all things. They rejected the Word of God because they deemed the words of Jesus utterly unlike the teachings about God they heard from the rabbis. They regarded Jesus merely as a rabbi from Nazareth; even when they witnessed all He did before their eyes, they refused to believe. As for the people of Tyre and Sidon, though they did not believe in or even know God, when God’s messengers came to them, they were willing to listen. On account of their obedience, God spared some among them.
Next, Jesus denounces Capernaum, referencing Sodom, that sinful city of the Old Testament (cf. Matt 11:23–24). We know Capernaum was the center of Jesus’ ministry; there He proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom and even raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. This bred arrogance in the hearts of Capernaum’s inhabitants. In contrast stands Sodom, a city steeped in depravity. Abraham, God’s friend, interceded for its people, yet none were saved except Lot and his family—for God remembered Lot’s fellowship with Abraham (cf. Gen 13:1–4). On account of Abraham’s plea, Lot and his family were spared, save for Lot’s wife, who looked back and became a pillar of salt (cf. Gen 18:16–19:29).
Clearly, Matthew intends to teach us this: Jesus calls us to seek the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom He speaks of is not a nation governed by rigid hierarchies, but a realm defined solely by love. In the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaims, there are only God’s children who worship Him with filial love—loving God alone, with undivided hearts. In this Kingdom, there is only God who loves mankind. The God Jesus reveals loves not only His dutiful children but also the undutiful; He is a God who draws near to His children, not One confined to the temple awaiting human worship, preferring sacrifices above all else. Therefore, let us take heed, lest we become the very objects of Jesus’ condemnation.
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