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John, in the first reading of today, describes his vision of God holding in his right
hand a scroll but found no one worthy to take and open it seals except for ‘a lamb that
seemed to have been sacrificed’ as we read in Rev. 5:6. Thus, John sets the grounds and
reasons for the worthiness of the figure that will accomplish the very task which will
determine the fate of humanity. And with this imagery, he re-echoes the image of the
suffering servant in Is. 53 by whose suffering we are healed. Let us recall that the twenty-four
elders mentioned first his suffering, thereafter they exclaimed the fruits of his suffering which
is, the redemption of man and his exaltation. Brethren, without a cross there can never be a
crown, let us see beyond our present discomfort to the bright future it promises.
In the gospel reading, however, Luke exposes us to the nature of Jesus’ suffering
making him perform similar action as John did in the first reading. He wept. He wept over
Jerusalem for not recognising the message of peace when it came. Surprisingly, the city, (i.e.
Jerusalem) whose name means peace, does not recognise the visitation of Jesus, whom Luke
one indeed!
Jesus’ lament which shows his tender love for God’s people has a certain prophetic
prehistory to it as Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and even Hosea, caught up in the rage, the
anguish, and the sorrow of God for Israel, lamented in the same way. Now the religious
leaders of Jerusalem are repeating the mistakes of their ancestors with their utter rejection of
the message of peace which Jesus stands for and they are going to pay dearly for it. But more
importantly, let us take note of the abruptness in the tone of Jesus when he says in Lk 19:42
‘if you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace!’ It is as if he is
saying as the Psalmist does in Ps 81:13, ‘How I wish my people would listen to me, how I
wish they will obey me!’ Jesus’ style of speaking here lays all the blame of Jerusalem’s
impending doom on herself. Brethren, it is our bounding duty to recognise the moment of
God’s visitation in our lives as individuals and as a people. When are these moments, we may
wonder. Times when we enjoy the means of grace in abundance, and we have the word of
God powerfully preached to us, even as we here it this morning, those times when the Spirit
strives with us, and our consciences are startled and awakened. Dear friends, these are the
moments of God’s visit in our lives, these are the moments of grace. We often allow these
moments slip away, not maximally benefiting from them, when we completely give in to
temporal things and get weakened by our bodily passions. Remember, we are called to be
people of sound morality. Jesus would rather wish that we have a total change of heart today.
May God grant us, through our Lady’s intercession, victory in our struggle against our