THE TEARS OF GOD

 

THE TEARS OF GOD 

 

It is rare that men shed tears. And when they do, they try not to be seen by  others. But Jesus wept—openly. That He wept at the tomb of a friend, we can  understand. But to shed tears over a city that would be destroyed?  

The view from the Mount of Olives is breathtaking even until now. It must  have been even more impressive when the Temple in all its splendor still stood.  When the planes of the terrorists smashed into the World Trade Center, and  we saw it on TV, many shed tears. I thought at that time: “What if they struck  the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome?” My eyes turned misty. 

But Jesus did not only think about the destruction of a building. He  thought of the horrible suffering the people would undergo. Jesus knew that  rebellious groups were planning to overthrow the Romans and that this would  lead to the horrors of destruction. If only they would listen to Him, accept His  message of peace, and abandon their dreams of political power. But they would  not listen. So He exclaims: “If you, even today, would recognize peace!” 

The tears of Jesus shed over Jerusalem are the tears of God—when He sees  His children suffer because they do not listen, running into all kinds of problems  and needless pain because we foolishly rebel. I have a confession to make.  Sometimes I think, “Wouldn’t it be better to be a minister of a non-Catholic  community which tries so hard to do what their pastor tells them?” Why such  thoughts? You cannot imagine the frustration of many priests who try every  Sunday to prepare a good homily but do not see any change in the lives and  attitude of their faithful. If a priest gives a lousy homily, don’t condemn him  immediatley. He might just be so frustrated that he lost the energy to prepare a  good one “because it’s useless.” Ask yourself today: How many of my problems,  how much of my suffering is caused by ignoring the words of Jesus? How many  tears have I caused Him to shed because I ignore what He tells me through the  Gospel and through the teachings of the Church? Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

REFLECTION QUESTION 

Which of my sufferings and problems could I have avoided had I listened to the  Lord and obeyed Him?  

 

Lord, I know I have caused You many tears because of my disobedience to You. Forgive me  my foolishness. Amen.  

 

Today, I pray for: __________________________________________________________