Daily Gospel Reflection for November 19, 2020

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Luke 19:41-44

Immediately after Jesus has entered Jerusalem amid pomp and joy, we find Him weeping. Though the Gospel obviously records Jesus crying, I rarely imagine such a human display of emotion. I imagine God's hurt, His anger, even His sadness, but seldom do I think of the profound sorrow depicted here as Jesus weeps tears for the impending destruction of Jerusalem (which would come in 70 A.D.)

Jesus, of course, is fully human, so it should be no surprise that He cries. Again, we see how the God of all the universe humbles Himself, becoming one of us, even in grief. Tears are sometimes seen as a mark of weakness, and yet we know there is nothing weak in God.

The tears Jesus cries can remind us that it is okay to be sorrowful, to cry, and to grieve. We are body and spirit, and in life, the two cannot be separated. Our tears manifest the movements of our hearts. They have purpose and meaning.

I've observed in myself and in my children as well, that sometimes we just need a good cry. I don't know if science has discovered all the whys of crying, but most of us know there is something soothing or healing about allowing our tears to flow.

We can take comfort that God knows intimately the working of our hearts. He knows what it is to cry.

Ponder:

Does your image of Jesus encompass both His divinity and His humanity or do you tend to emphasize one over the other?

Pray:

Lord, keep me mindful that I am never truly alone. Even You know what it is to be sorrowful since by humbling Yourself You experienced the whole range of human emotions and their physical responses.