Thursday of the 33rd Week in
Ordinary Time - Luke 19:41-44
The scene this Gospel opens with
Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Many of the people following him assumed that he
was crying because he believed that Jerusalem would be destroyed. 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 even frightening. Jesus’
language in this Gospel is stark 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 each of us can consciously and
deliberately strive to be people of peace, love, generosity and gratitude! This
will have an impact on our world---even if we don’t “see” it! And if we
strive to do this, we also will be changed and in our own way we can make a
difference!
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