Daily Catholic Lectio
Thu, 21 November 2024
XXXIII Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday
Presentation of Mary, Memorial
Revelation 5:1-10. Psalm 149. Luke 19:41-44
God who weeps
When Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem, he sees the temple and weeps. The temple was the symbol of the people of Israel. The Israelites believed that the name of the Lord God dwelt there in the Temple. They, who waited eagerly for the Messiah of God, failed to accept Jesus as their Messiah.
How do we understand Jesus’ tears?
(a) A sign of helplessness. A man in hospital with an oxygen mask on his face and tubes inserted into his arm and nose burst into tears when he sees his wife, relative or friend. We feel helpless in sickness, death, and loss. Realizing that none of his teachings or mighty deeds affected his contemporaries, Jesus sheds tear of despair and helplessness.
(b) A call for conversion. Jesus points to the guilt of the city of Jerusalem: ‘You do not know when God came looking for you!’ Jesus’ weeping is a call for repentance of his contemporaries.
(c) A warning of what is to come. Jesus foretells the siege, plunder, and destruction of the temple. Jesus performs his prophetic work, even if it is unacceptable to his contemporaries.
Jesus’ ultimate question to the Temple is: ‘Why did you not know the way of peace?’ Zechariah, in his Benedictus sings, “Through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Lk 2:78-79). In the light of this text we deduce the answer to Jesus’ question. Jesus is the ‘way of peace.’ The people of Israel considered ‘peace’ (‘shalom’) as the greatest gift or value.
It is God alone who ‘grants peace to our peaceless hearts.’ Let us examine our anxieties, distractions, and confusions that disturb our inner peace.
In the first reading, John, in his vision weeps that he found no one worthy to break open the seal of the scroll. However, he is comforted by an elder.
When we cry amidst our helpless situations, God comes running towards us to embrace us and to wipe away our tears.
Therefore, together with the Psalmist, let us sing, “Sing a new song unto the Lord” (Ps 149:1).
Today’s memorial:
The Presentation of Mary in the Temple reflects her total dedication to God from an early age, foreshadowing her unique role in salvation history. It highlights her purity, humility, and readiness to say ‘yes’ to God’s will. Mary’s offering of herself in the Temple becomes a model of self-giving for all believers. This event invites us to reflect on our own openness to God’s call and our commitment to live as His instruments. In Mary, we see a life centred on God, inspiring us to deepen our faith and devotion.
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In helpless situations of life, the ‘pilgrims of hope’ navigate holding on to the finger of God. (Jubilee 2025 AD, bite 254).
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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