GOSPEL REFLECTIONS OF POPE FRANCIS: 11/23/23 (Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time)

From the Gospel according to Luke

Lk 19:41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,

he saw the city and wept over it, saying,

“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–

but now it is hidden from your eyes.

For the days are coming upon you

when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;

they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.

They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,

and they will not leave one stone upon another within you

because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER:

Jesus weeps, because we have chosen the way of war, the way of hatred, the way of hostility. This is even more glaring now that “we are approaching Christmas: there will be lights, there will be celebrations, trees lit up, even nativity scenes... all decorated: the world continues to wage war, to wage wars. The world has not comprehended the way of peace. (…) What remain are “ruins, thousands of uneducated children, the deaths of so many innocent people: so many!”. And also “so much money in the pockets of arms dealers”. It is a crucial issue. Once, Jesus said: ‘no one can serve two masters: either God or wealth. And, war is choosing wealth: ‘let’s make weapons, this way the economy will balance out somewhat’, and we continue with our interests. In this regard, there is a horrible word of the Lord: ‘accursed’, because ‘he said: blessed are the peacemakers!’. So those “who work for war, who wage wars, are accursed, they are criminals”. A war, can be justified — in quotation marks — with many, many reasons. But when the whole world, as it is today, is at war — the whole world! — it is a world war being fought piecemeal: here, there, there, everywhere. And “there is no justification. God weeps. Jesus weeps”. (…) It will be good for us too, to ask for the grace to weep for this world which does not recognize the way of peace, which lives to wage war, while cynically claiming not to do so. And, he added, let us ask for a conversion of heart. Right at the threshold of this Jubilee (…), that our jubilee, our joy may be the grace so that the world may once again find the capacity to weep for its crimes, for what it does with wars. (Santa Marta, 19 November 2015)

Source:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth