One of the great reference points in western literature as a location of sexual excess, immorality, and bad music was Sodom and Gomorrah. Jesus uses this location and all it entails to drive home a point that even the inhabitants of the most decadent place on earth would have responded in a better way than those who hear his preaching and do nothing. Often, we are amazed on how some can miss the obvious or be oblivious to the world around them. Frequently, when I am working in Rome, I see teenagers busy playing computer games while sitting in front of the Pantheon or St. Peter’s and wonder why their attention is turned to the insignificant. Today’s gospel may point a finger at those who miss the obvious but that finger frequently points in our direction as well. Applying the rigors of judgment we apply to others on ourselves usually does not happen with the greatest of frequency. It is for this reason that the great saints spent so much time examining their consciences. Reflecting on one’s own motives and desires reveals obstacles that we find easily in others but it takes a bit more courage to identify them within ourselves.