October 29
Jesus' Sorrow For Jerusalem
Today’s Gospel:
Luke 13:31-35
(Jesus' Sorrow
For Jerusalem)
“At that very hour some Pharisees came,
and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you."
And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, `Behold, I cast out demons and
perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.
Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following; for
it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How
often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood
under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell
you, you will not see me until you say, `Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord!'"
Reflection:
Jesus knew exactly what was waiting for Him in Jerusalem: that He
would be rejected and betrayed and eventually die on the cross, and He also
knew that He would rise in victory for Jews and Gentiles alike, so He walked
toward it anyway, out of love. The sorrow in His voice when He cries out over
the city is the sorrow of a hen who wants nothing more than to gather her
chicks under her wings, and who watches them refuse to come. That raises a
question each of us has to answer honestly, which is whether we make room in
our lives for Him, and whether we love Him the way He has loved us. It is
Jesus, and only Jesus, who has opened the way for us to come into the presence
of Almighty God, and He is still standing there with His arms wide open,
waiting for us to say yes.
Now notice how Jesus responds when the Pharisees warn Him that Herod wants Him
dead, because He does not run, and He does not hide, and He certainly does not
change His plans to keep Himself safe. He simply says that He will keep healing
and casting out demons today and tomorrow and the day after, and that He will
finish what He came to do. So what do we do when we feel threatened for our
faith? It is tempting to quiet down, to slip away, or to keep our beliefs to
ourselves so that no one calls us crazy, but so many people in Scripture were
told to stop preaching and stop working miracles, and they kept going and
worked even harder for the Lord, because they understood that getting God’s
Word out was bigger than they were and more important than the breath in their
lungs. I’m not here to tell you what you should do, since every one of us has
to decide that for ourselves, but I can tell you what I’ve lived. In my forty-three years on this journey, I have been threatened, cursed at, and
ridiculed many times, once in a way that truly frightened me, and I am still
here, and I know that plenty of eyes are watching, and that is fine with me
because I am not stopping.
We should place all our hope and trust in Jesus Christ, because it is through
Him alone that we find the strength to get up and move forward each day. We
don’t have to judge or ridicule anyone; we can mind our own business and keep
on keeping on, and Jesus knows our hearts well enough to know that we are far
from perfect and never will be, but He asks only that we serve Him and share
our faith for as long as we live. This is not a business, and it is not a way to
make a living; this is our life, and our love for the Lord should run so deep
that we feel an urge to share that joy with anyone who will listen, so that as
long as blood flows through our bodies, we do everything we can to encourage
others to journey closer to Jesus. We can also find tremendous comfort in Our
Lady, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and in the Holy Rosary, which can be at the
root of our journey from day one and remain a vital part of us as we make our
way home. It is Beneath the Standard of Mary that we learn that standing firm for Jesus
does not mean standing alone, because she stood at the foot of the cross when
it cost her everything, and she still stands beside every one of her children
who refuses to walk away from her Son.
Do you make room in your life for Jesus, and do you love Him the way He
loves you? When your faith costs you something, whether it’s a little
discomfort or a real threat, do you run and hide, or do you hold your ground?
And who is watching you right now who might be encouraged to draw closer to
Jesus because you didn’t stop?
Rosary
Man Jim 🌹
Freely
given. Freely shared.
