This happens When we reject God: Thursday 33rd Week Ordinary Time

Breakfast with the Word Thursday  33rd Week Ordinary Time of the Year B

Luke 19:41-44

 

 

As the end of His life draws near, Jesus enters Jerusalem in a triumphant gesture. When He approaches Jerusalem, Jesus begins to weep over the city.

 

Jesus weeps because of their rejection and hardness of heart and consequently the impending danger that follows.

 

 

Jerusalem means the land of peace but Jesus accuses the city of not recognizing what makes for her peace.

 

 

The point is that Jesus comes to save her. He comes to bring the everlasting peace she longs for, but they reject Him. Instead of accepting the message of salvation, what they offered to God is rejection and constant attack from the Jewish leaders.

 

Because of their inability to accept salvation and peace that Jesus gives, they instead invite their own destruction.

 

Why the Rejection

 

 

 

The Jews desire a political messiah that will destroy their enemies and save them from Roman domination.

 

Instead, God gives them a peaceful Messiah to save them from sin and bring them closer to God. The rejection hence is because this is not what they expect from God.

 

 

Sometimes we reject God because the way we expect Him to answer our prayers is not the way it turns out to be.

 

You pray that God gives you a rich husband, but He brings you a humble but poor one. You pray that He gives you a job that will pay a huge amount of money. Instead, He gives you the one that will be enough for you.

 

You pray to be put in a higher position. But He gives one that will not give you much trouble. He even goes further to surround you with people that will deeply love you.

 

 

Sometimes we reject the opportunities God offers because they are far from our expectation. Today, Jesus also says to us “how I wish you recognise the things that would have given you peace”.

 

 

God is more interested to bring you closer to Him and give you peace. He would not want anything that will be a stumbling block to this.

 

 

Many today have lost opportunities to be better because what was presented to them is very far from what they want. When we reject God’s opportunities for us, we plunge ourselves into a series of problems.

 

 

God’s visitation

 

In Genesis 18, Abraham meets an opportunity to help. He did not think twice in doing that and that single gesture became a blessing to Him.

 

The Israelites were visited by God but they were spiritually blind to recognize such a divine visitation in the person of Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus weeps not because of what He is going to face but due to their hardness of the heart and failure to recognise what God brings to them.

 

Jesus weeps because He knows the calamity that will befall the city because of this.

 

Sometimes after we pray and fast that God comes to our aid, He brings people to our path to be of good help to achieve our life dreams but we end up fighting and incriminating them.

 

When we eventually lose them, we then begin to understand how important they are to us.

 

Sometimes you pray that God helps you, and He instead sends you someone to help. We reject the offer because it is not what we want.

 

God can visit you through the poor, orphans, the needy but we become blind not to discern what is happening at that moment.

 

How many times have you prayed, and God inspires you to do something?  Sometimes you reject it and like the Israelites, and await when God will come down from heaven and do it.

 

 

How many times have you heard a sermon, or homily or read a reflection that is directly or indirectly talking to you? But you wave them out because you think it is not your concern?

 

Jesus weeps at our indifference, He weeps at our lack of discernment, He weeps at our lack of faith and our inability to pay attention to Him. When we reject God, we reject peace, salvation, blessings etc. Accept whatever God gives to you.

 

 

May God bless you dearest and give us the grace to understand the mysteries of His kingdom. May His loving presence ever remain with you. Amen

 

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