My dear friends in Jesus Christ,

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. As He gazes upon the city He is filled with deep sorrow and begins to weep. In order to understand the deeper meaning of Jesus’ tears, we need to comprehend the context and symbolism behind Jesus’ emotions over Jerusalem. We need to understand the depth of Jesus’ compassion, His tender heart overflowing with sorrow.

Jerusalem held great significance for Jewish people, as the centre of their religious and political life. It was also believed to be the dwelling place of God’s presence on earth, as the city had the temple of God. So, Jesus also visited Jerusalem on various occasions.

Now there are various reasons why people of Jerusalem could not believe in Jesus.

First, due to their blindness, people of Jerusalem could not recognize Jesus’ divinity, as the Prince of Peace, who could bring them salvation and reconciliation. People of Jerusalem saw the physical beauty of the city, but Jesus, being God, with a heavy heart, saw beyond the physical beauty, the actual spiritual state of its people. They saw big walls around the city, but Jesus perceived the walls built around their hearts. So, like a gentle rain, tears streamed down His face, since he had human heart.

Another reason is that they expected their Messiah to be a triumphant military leader who would overthrow the Roman ruler and would establish His own kingdom where there will be peace, joy and happiness. But Jesus, being an earthly poor man filled with love and compassion, could not meet these expectations. This hardness and brokenness of the people of Jerusalem led to the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD where no stone would be found upon another as Jesus foretold in Luke 19:44, “Because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God”.

So now, let us remember the moments, when we were caught up in our own concerns and desires and failed to recognize the Prince of Peace who sought to bring us salvation and reconciliation, and wept over our blindness.

Let us remember the importance of recognizing the divine moments in our lives and not allowing distractions, to blind us to the truth. It urges us to prioritize the pursuit of peace and understanding, for in doing so we avoid the anguish that comes with missing out on deep love and grace that Jesus offers.

Let us not be like of people of Jerusalem, but rather embrace the opportunities for spiritual growth and transformation that God presents, so that we may not weep but rejoice in peace in recognizing the time of our visitation from God. Amen