Thursday of week 30 in Ordinary Time
Gospel Luke 13:31-35
We witness a poignant moment where Jesus expresses both His deep love for Jerusalem and His sorrow over its resistance to God’s message. He acknowledges the city’s history of rejecting prophets and messengers, and yet His compassion remains steadfast. The image of a hen gathering her brood under her wings is a powerful metaphor for Jesus’ desire to protect and nurture the people, but He also respects their free will—even when it leads to their rejection of God’s plan. Jesus is saying, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! So be it! Your house will be left to you”. This is a case when you are not seeing the message which God sends to you, and you are even killing the source of that message or inspiration. Because you have your personal plan and intentions to maintain. Killing the plan of God to keep alive your plan is the worse you can do to yourself. Because the plan of God is always better than our plans and calculations. When we insist on our way, we might be denying ourselves the fullness of life that God intends for us. Let’s reflect: In what areas of your life might you be holding onto personal plans or desires so tightly that you are missing out on the deeper, more fulfilling path that God may be offering?
Don Giorgio