In today’s Gospel proclamation Jesus is seen weeping over the city of Jerusalem. Jesus came to offer peace through love and establishing the kingdom of God upon this earth, but the Jews rejected it and they had to face the consequences of rejecting the peace from God. This is contrary to Mattathias, who took a stand for his beliefs. He was not willing to forsake the law and the commandments even at the cost of his life. Unfortunately, this same rejection plays itself out repeatedly on a much smaller scale in our own lives. We reject the way of the Lord in our youth and in our rebellion we think that we can follow whenever and however we may choose. We would have wasted much time and would have forfeited much peace as the consequences of our rebellion and procrastination, bringing upon us heartache after heartache. In addition, some of us can have our hearts become so hardened that we may never wish to return to the Lord, so Jesus is weeping over us, as he wept over Jerusalem. Let us return to his embrace.

Prayer: Abba Father, grant me the zeal and fortitude to stand up for your kingdom. May my actions be led by your love. Amen.