The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us that the community gathered with the Prince of Peace is hope today for truth, goodness, beauty, peace, and authority.
Peaceful community
The reading from the Book of Revelation is a vision of the Scroll and the Lamb.
* [5:6] Christ is the Paschal Lamb without blemish, whose blood saved the new Israel from sin and death; cf. Ex 12; Is 53:7; Jn 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Pt 1:18–19. This is the main title for Christ in Revelation, used twenty-eight times. Seven horns and seven eyes: Christ has the fullness (see note on Rev 1:4) of power (horns) and knowledge (eyes); cf. Zec 4:7. [Seven] spirits: as in Rev 1:4; 3:1; 4:5.1
Psalm 149 offers praise for God’s Goodness to Israel.
* [Psalm 149] A hymn inviting the people of Israel to celebrate their God in song and festive dance (Ps 149:1–3, 5) because God has chosen them and given them victory (Ps 149:4). The exodus and conquest are the defining acts of Israel; the people must be ready to do again those acts in the future at the divine command (Ps 149:6–9).2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem.
* [19:41–44] The lament for Jerusalem is found only in Luke. By not accepting Jesus (the one who mediates peace), Jerusalem will not find peace but will become the victim of devastation.3
Luis Rodriguez, S.J. comments that many people in Jesus’ day did not recognize the visitation of God in Jesus, because he did not come with a “roar,” destroying his enemies and creating a kingdom by brute force. Rather, he appeared in weakness and human frailty and then died in apparent helplessness.
But he is the victorious Lamb, who created a kingdom in his Blood. St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 2, 8 alludes to this surprising appearance of the Savior and the blindness of those around him: “If they had known the mystery, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.” The messiah, a crucified criminal?? Often enough we, too, do not see “the mystery” around us. The Lord of glory appears in humble circumstances, in the persons of the poor and defenseless around us, in our places of personal poverty, weakness and apparent failure. We often look for him in places of expected strength and power, according to the world’s standards, missing him where he chooses to show himself in true power.4
Don Schwager offers a meditation on what enables us to live in peace and harmony with our families, neighbors, local communities, and the wider community of peoples and nations. He quotes “Jesus fulfills the beatitude for those who weep,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"When our Lord and Savior approached Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept... By his example, Jesus confirms all the Beatitudes that he speaks in the Gospel. By his own witness, he confirms what he teaches. 'Blessed are the meek,' he says. He says something similar to this of himself: 'Learn from me, for I am meek.' 'Blessed are the peacemakers.' What other man brought as much peace as my Lord Jesus, who 'is our peace,' who 'dissolves hostility' and 'destroys it in his own flesh' (Ephesians 2:14-15). 'Blessed are those who suffer persecution because of justice.' "No one suffered such persecution because of justice as did the Lord Jesus, who was crucified for our sins. The Lord therefore exhibited all the Beatitudes in himself. For the sake of this likeness, he wept, because of what he said, 'Blessed are those who weep,' to lay the foundations for this beatitude as well. He wept for Jerusalem and said,'If only you had known on that day what meant peace for you! But now it is hidden from your eyes,' and the rest, to the point where he says, 'Because you did not know the time of your visitation'" (excerpt from HOMILY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 38.1-2)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 19:41-44 comments that Jesus is weeping should give us some comfort because his tears are a sign of his compassion. He’s not condemning Jerusalem; he’s lamenting over it. He sees that this destruction will be the result of the people’s sin and their rejection of him and the prophets God had sent. He knows it will happen, but he still decides to go to the cross and offer his life for his people. He refuses to abandon them. Despite their sin, he still wants to save them—and the whole world besides.
Jesus never abandons us either. But he certainly weeps for our sins because he sees the needless suffering they cause us. He sees that they keep us from our purpose in life, which is to know and serve him. He came to earth, died, and rose for us so that we could be rid of those sins and live the abundant life he intended for us (John 10:10). Even when we stray, he waits patiently for us to return to him.6
Friar Jude Winkler connects the Revelation text of yesterday concerning the Father with the text today about the Son and the saving will of God in the image of the Scroll. The New Testament overwrites “kill” of the Hebrew Testament with “die”. Friar Jude notes that Luke wrote his Gospel after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that the world has suffered much from the various forms of Christian colonialism. Yet the Reign of God is an alternative to domination systems and all “isms.” Jesus teaches that the right relationship (i.e., love) is the ultimate and daily criterion. Author, activist, and community organizer Lisa Sharon Harper describes it.
Evidence of the presence of the Kingdom of God is thick wherever and whenever people stand on the promise of God that there is more to this world—more to this life—than what we see. There is more than the getting over, getting by, or getting mine. There is more than the brokenness, the destruction, and the despair that threaten to wash over us like the waters of the deep. There is a vision of a world where God cuts through the chaos, where God speaks and there is light. There is a vision where there is protection and where love is binding every relationship together. [1]7
The Will of God as lived by Jesus is sought through the Spirit by a community of love, compassion, and mercy.
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