Luke 19:41-44 – 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
The scene the Gospel opens with today is Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Many of the people following him assumed that he was crying because he believed that Jerusalem would be destroyed. Apparently there had been dire predictions floating around in Jerusalem. (This sounds a bit like our fear as Y2K (2000) approached.) For weeks there were predictions that all computers would be shut down and everything would come to a standstill. They also predicted that investments, homes and jobs would be lost. What a relief it was when the year 2000 came and went fairly quietly!
As this Church year comes to an end, the daily readings become more sobering and perhaps frightening! Jesus’ language in today’s Gospel is stark and somewhat frightening as he tells us what we can anticipate in the future. He speaks of people being surrounded by their enemies and of children being smashed on the ground. This is not the Jesus most of us know!
The reality of life in many countries today mirrors what Jesus is predicting. So many people in our world struggle to have food, shelter and safety. Today there are far too many places in our world where children, women and men are not safe. In my comfortable “little world,” I take so much for granted! True, I don’t have the power to change those situations. However, today I and we can consciously, deliberately strive to be women and men of peace, love, generosity and gratitude! This will have an impact on our world---even if we don’t “see” it! In our own quiet way we can make a difference!
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