Tenth Sunday after Trinity, Sunday, August 5th, 2018
"And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, . . . " (St. Luke 19:41) St. Luke describes for us Our Lord's reaction as He travels towards Jerusalem. If we continue on in this chapter, St. Luke relates the words of Our Lord concerning Jerusalem: "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." (St. Luke 19:42) If thou had known . . . . If thou had only known . . . . I have no doubt that we have each had the occasion to interact with someone and just shake our head because we know, we just know that this person is headed for trouble. They are on a pathway to destruction in their life. It's mostly due to the choices they have made in their life, quite frankly. And sometimes we just shake our head in disbelief because we know exactly where these poor choices will lead to. And if the person in question is someone you love dearly: a son, . . . a daughter, . . . a good friend, . . . you may have the same reaction as did Our Blessed Lord: you weep over them. You weep because you know there is nothing you can do. You weep because in your heart you see the person you love on a pathway to destruction and you feel helpless to stop them. I dare say this is why Our Lord wept. Yes, Our Lord describes the destruction of Jerusalem which was certainly a sad event. But I think it was more than that.
When you think about it, St. Luke describes a profound event for us. The tears of Our Blessed Saviour are indeed the tears of God. God is crying because He knows that despite His best efforts, there will be many men and women in Jerusalem and beyond those city gates that will persist in going against the will of God. Our Lord weeps because He sees people more focused on doing their own will than doing the will of our Heavenly Father. Our Lord weeps because He sees all the needless pain, suffering and agony throughout the generations that human beings will heap upon themselves. "If thou hadst known . . . . " God sent His Son into the world for one ultimate purpose. This is why we hear Our Lord quoted throughout the gospels when He said: "My time is not yet come." He, of course, was referring to when He died that cruel death on the Cross. When He suffered the pain and the agony of that cruel death, He suffered it for you and me. He endured that pain and agony for all men and women throughout the ages. He did it because He knew that you and I could never have the capacity to do what He did. He bore our sins on His shoulders that fateful day. And in so doing, Our Lord defeated sin once and for all. Our Lord died on the Cross to save us from our sins. And He rose again from the dead to lead the way to new life . . . . eternal life for us spent in the presence of our Heavenly Father. And yet Our Lord knew that countless souls, despite His best efforts to save us from our sins, would still persist in their foolish ways. This, I dare say, is why Our Lord wept.
St. Margaret Church gathers together every Sunday morning to listen to the Word of God, found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Join us as we listen to God speak to each one of us. Set aside one hour of your busy week and dedicate this time to God. Receive the Precious Body and Blood of Christ at Communion time to strengthen and nourish you.
We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. Mass begins at 9:30 AM. Come join us and use this time to thank God for the many blessings He has shown you.
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