Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 19: 41-44
The tears of Jesus

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He stopped, looked over the city, and wept. He saw not its beauty, but its coming destruction — the suffering and loss that would follow because His people refused the way of peace. In those tears, we glimpse the very heart of God — a God who does not condemn from afar, but weeps for His children when they lose their way.

Jesus’ tears were not just for the city of stone and walls; they were for hearts hardened by pride and blindness. They were for all the needless pain humanity brings upon itself when it turns away from God’s love. His weeping continues today — for cities where violence and corruption rule, for nations divided by greed, and for hearts that have forgotten how to love.

But Jesus’ tears are not only of sorrow — they are also a call to conversion. He invites us to love our country, not with empty pride, but with generous hearts ready to serve. It is not enough to be mere inhabitants who occupy space; we are called to be citizens who take responsibility for the common good, who work and pray for justice, peace, and dignity for all.

God continues to visit us — in our families, our communities, and even in the struggles of our nation. His visitation may come quietly, through the poor, through acts of kindness, through those who still hope for renewal. The question is: will we recognise His presence, or let it pass us by?

Today, let us ask for hearts that can still weep — for our world, for our homeland, for all who suffer. And may those tears move us to action, to love as Jesus loved, and to help build the peace He longed for.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025