Baruch speaks on behalf of Israel in exile:
“To us belongs shame of face, for we have sinned against the Lord… We have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God.”

This is not a comfortable prayer. It’s not self-congratulation. It’s confession.
Israel looks back on its history — stubbornness, idolatry, ingratitude — and admits: “We brought this exile on ourselves.”

Notice the humility: no excuses, no spin, no “It wasn’t our fault.”
Just the truth: we sinned, and we are reaping what we sowed.

Then in the Gospel, Jesus Himself gives a similar warning.

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago.”

These towns had seen Christ’s miracles. They had heard His preaching. Yet their hearts were unmoved. The problem wasn’t ignorance. The problem was hardness of heart.

And Jesus adds: “Whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the One who sent me.”

Rejection of the messengers of God is rejection of God Himself.

So what unites Baruch and the Gospel?
It is this: the danger of hearing God’s word but not letting it change us.

Israel heard the prophets again and again. They would not listen.
Chorazin and Bethsaida saw miracles and healings. They would not repent.

In both cases, the greatest tragedy was wasted grace.
Not ignorance — but indifference.

And here is where it pierces us. We too have heard God’s word many times.
We too have seen His grace in our lives — answered prayers, forgiveness in confession, His Body and Blood given to us.

The question is: do we let it change us?
Or do we treat it as background noise?

Jesus warns: those who had less light — Tyre and Sidon, pagan cities — will fare better at judgment than those who had more light but ignored it.

And so for us: we who have the Scriptures, the sacraments, the saints, the Catechism, the whole treasury of grace — if we do not repent, how much more accountable are we? But there is hope here too.

Baruch’s prayer of shame is not despair.
Confession is the first step of healing.
When we admit our sins, God’s mercy can flow.

And even Jesus’ “woes” are not curses. They are warnings spoken in love.
The Lord rebukes so that He may save.
He exposes the sickness so that we will seek the cure.

So what must we do?

• Examine ourselves honestly. Where have we been like Israel, hearing but not obeying, enjoying God’s gifts but ignoring His law?
• Respond to the warnings. Where have we been like Chorazin, enjoying miracles but failing to repent?
• Take responsibility. No excuses, no shifting blame. The prayer of Baruch is our prayer: “To us belongs shame.” Only then can we add: “But to the Lord belongs mercy and forgiveness.”
• Act now. Chorazin and Bethsaida remind us: tomorrow is not guaranteed. Repentance delayed is repentance refused.

And yet — God has already given us the remedy.

• In Baptism, He washed us.
• In Confession, He still washes us.
• In the Eucharist, He feeds us with Christ Himself.

Israel was exiled because they refused to listen.
But you and I have a chance to listen now — today.

Baruch teaches us humility: admit sin.
Jesus teaches us urgency: repent before it’s too late. The tragedy of wasted grace must not be ours.

So let us make Israel’s prayer our own:
“To us belongs shame of face, but to the Lord belongs mercy and forgiveness.”

And let us make Jesus’ warning our wake-up call:
Not tomorrow. Not someday. Now.