33rd Week in Ord. Time, Thursday – 18th November 2021 — Gospel: Lk 19,41-44
Rejection of Peace
Jesus’ tears over Jerusalem express his sadness, anger and frustration for the nation’s rejection of God’s message and his Messiah. Speaking like a prophet, he declares divine judgment upon the city for its failures to respond to his call to repentance. His lament is reminiscent of Jeremiah’s grief over the coming exile (Jer 6,6-7) or Isaiah’s declaration of the coming siege of Jerusalem (Is 29,1-4). Jerusalem, the city of peace, does not know what to do in order to secure its peace, for it did not acknowledge Jesus, the king of peace. The disastrous collapse of the city is the tragic consequence of rejecting the gospel’s message of peace and non-violence. Indeed, in 70 CE, the Romans destroyed the temple, broke down the city walls and burnt houses and buildings.
