Fr. Mike’s Homily for Thursday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Cycle I
Theme: The tears of God
By: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Diocese of Novaliches
Homily for Thursday November 18 2021
Lk 19:41-44
As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
The name ‘Jerusalem’ means City of Peace. ‘Salem’ is derived from the word ‘shalom’, peace. But as Jesus approaches Jerusalem He weeps bitterly because “it did not know what makes for peace”. Jesus could foresee the tragic fate that awaits the city since it “did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
God loves His Chosen People. That is why He sent many prophets to Jerusalem to teach and warn them, to lead them to the way of salvation and peace. But they rejected and killed all these messengers. And when the appointed time has come, God sent His own Son, Jesus. But still, they would not listen to His message of repentance and conversion. Instead, they rejected Him, and eventually crucified Him.
And so, Jesus weeps as He looks at Jerusalem from a distance. He predicted the fate of the city. This prediction came true in the year 70 AD. The entire city was destroyed and the inhabitants were slaughtered. The huge Temple was ransacked and reduced to ruins.
Today, the Gospel invites us to think about the Tears of God. He loves us so much that He gave to us His only Son, Jesus Christ for our salvation. Yet, in spite of this, we persist in doing all kinds of evil and sin, ignoring His teachings and warnings. We continually hurt God, and we make Him cry. He cries mainly because He knows the disastrous fate that awaits us if we continue with our sinful ways. But how can we console and comfort God in His sorrow?
Before Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima, the Angel of Peace appeared thrice to the three children – Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. He taught them a couple of prayers of adoration and worship. Then on the third apparition, the Angel gave them Holy Communion with the instruction: ʺTake and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God.ʺ
Hence, we are reminded about the need to do continuous acts of reparation. In the first place, He allows us to undergo various kinds of trials and sufferings. These are not God’s punishment, but should be seen as opportunities to make reparation. St. Augustine said, “Trials and tribulations offer us a chance to make reparation for our past faults and sins. On such occasions, the Lord comes to us like a physician to heal the wounds left by our sins. Tribulation is the divine medicine.”
Another way to make reparation is by prayer. The Blessed Mother constantly pleads: “Please pray the Rosary!” That is why, when we pray the Rosary, we must consciously offer this prayer in reparation for the offenses against the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. After every decade, we may add, “O Sacrament, Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.”
But most of all, the most efficacious means of reparation is the Holy Mass. We are encouraged to receive Communion of Reparation and to regularly spend some precious moments before the Blessed Sacrament. St. Teresa of Kolkata said, “Our hours of adoration will be special hours of reparation for sins and intercession for the needs of the whole world, exposing the sin-sick and suffering humanity to the healing, sustaining and transforming rays of Jesus, radiating from the Eucharist.”
In a couple of days, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. Many parishes traditionally hold Eucharistic Processions on this feast. This is a beautiful way of giving honor to our Lord. By this we hope to console His wounded Heart and offer an act of reparation for the sins of humanity. And finally, with this solemn gesture, we consecrate ourselves and everything we have to God’s protection and providence especially during these times of grave trials and uncertainties.
Pope Benedict XVI explains the meaning of the Eucharistic Procession: “We bring Christ, present under the sign of bread, onto the streets of our city. We entrust these streets, these homes, our daily life, to His goodness. May our streets be streets of Jesus! May our houses be homes for Him and with Him! May our life of every day be penetrated by His presence.”
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Diocese of Novaliches