Weeping Over the City

As Jesus came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, “It is written,
‘My house shall be a house of prayer’;
but you have made it a den of robbers.”
Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard. Luke 19:41-48

There was much weeping last night as the Republicans and Democrats played a good natured, charity fund raising baseball game. The shooting of one of their own had changed everything. We as humans too often do not realize the ways to peace until a tragedy or loss befalls us. We are often too comfortable in our complacent buying and selling, arguing and posturing. We forget how fragile life is and how necessary and critical relationships and forgiveness are to our lives. We need each other, we need to live in peace rather than focus on our differences.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem and then proceeded to clear the temple of the money changers and the sellers who were robbing poor people blind in the cost of appropriate sacrifices. They said they were helping but in fact were making faithfulness a huge financial burden. We can get so caught in the rhetoric and taking sides that we can make daily living and faithfulness a burden for those around us. We are invited by God today to live  prayerfully, love completely and make peace the goal for daily living.

Today I ask God to help me leave compassionately and peacefully with neighbors, family and enemies. May we be those who help change the narrative, and turn our words of compassion and peace into action for the whole world.