A Reflection on Luke 13:31-35
You know how
sometimes you really want to protect someone you love, but they won't let you?
That's exactly what's happening in today’s Gospel. Jesus is walking toward
Jerusalem, knowing what's going to happen there, and some Pharisees come to
warn Him that King Herod wants to kill Him. But Jesus doesn't run away.
Instead, He keeps moving forward because He has a mission to complete. His
heart is breaking because He knows the people of Jerusalem, the holy city where
God's temple stands, are going to reject Him. Jesus sees everything that's
coming, and still His love for them never wavers.
Here's the sad part:
even though Jesus came to save His people, they kept rejecting Him. They hurt
the prophets God sent to guide them, and now they were going to refuse the
greatest gift of all – God's own Son. Jesus knew they would crucify Him in
Jerusalem, but He kept going there anyway because His love was bigger than
their rejection. This teaches us something powerful about God's love: it never
gives up on us, even when we turn away. Jesus was willing to die for people who
didn't want Him, and He's willing to love us even when we mess up or ignore
Him.
When we pray the
Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, especially the Agony in the Garden, we can
think about this moment. Jesus knew the suffering that was coming, just like He
knew it here in this passage. But He kept going forward out of love for us. And
when we pray the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery, the Crucifixion, we remember that
Jesus went to Jerusalem knowing exactly what would happen there. He could have
saved Himself, but He chose to save us instead. Mary, His mother, watched all
of this happen, and she understood better than anyone how Jesus longed to bring
God's children home to safety and peace.
The most beautiful
thing about today’s gospel is that it shows us Jesus isn't some distant God who
doesn't care. He weeps over us. He longs to protect us and draw us close to His
Sacred Heart. Even when we mess up or walk away from Him, His arms are always
open wide for us. That's why we can always come back to Him in prayer, in the
sacraments, and especially in the Rosary, where Mary helps lead us back to her
Son's loving embrace. Jesus is still calling to us today, just like He called
to Jerusalem: "Come to me. Let me love you. Let me keep you safe."
©2025 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
