Weep For Yourselves

"A large crowd of people followed Him; among them were women beating their breast and wailing for Him, but Jesus turned to them and said, 'Women of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, weep rather for yourselves and for your children.'" - Luke 23:27-28

As I was kneeling in mass today for All Saint's Day, I thought about how bad I felt for Jesus. He's the last person people think about in their lives some times and gets pushed aside for other things. But as I thought about this, all of a sudden I felt a pain in my chest and my eyes welled up with tears. These words came to me: "women of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, weep rather for yourselves and for your children."

And then the reality of all we suffer and all the sin around us hit me so hard. At a moment when Jesus was being beaten, spat at, whipped and ordered to march to be crucified, He is warning us of our own sorrows. I see so much sadness in the world, so much pain. I see kids without parents, hate, anger, pain of abandonment, marriages that are failing, infidelities, families torn apart by betrayal, and so many young kids/ adults that make mistakes because they didn't think things out properly, because they didn't know God is real and can guide them. So we end up living in a world in which despite being brutally treated, Jesus actually felt sorrow for us. And then, no matter how much hurt exists in us and how empty we could feel, we actually think to ourselves that we're doing God the favor by praying or by going to church. "I don't feel like it today," you say, or, "I just don't have time, I have so much to do." None of us does God the favor by this, we're the ones that need the prayer and are in desperate need of His help, even in the smallest things.

I hope you reflect about your lives today. Think about the pain you feel or have felt growing up. The relationships you're in that are broken and the difficult decisions you need to make. Or about those bills that keep adding up and don't let you sleep at night. Before you doubt bowing down before the power of God to lift you up, remember Jesus' words, "do not weep for me, weep rather for yourselves."

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, again You strike me down and humble me into seeing the truth. I need so much of You because all that I am is broken and only Your hands can heal and renew life. Lord, help me to open my eyes, both physical and spiritual, so that I can truly live my life as Your follower. In Your Name we pray, amen.

He Was Born To You

"There were shepards camping in the country side, taking turns to watch over their flocks by night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, with the Glory of the Lord shining around them. As they were terrified, the angel said to them, 'Don't be afraid; I am here to give you good news, great joy for all the people. Today a Savior has been born to you in David's town; He is the Messiah and the Lord. Let this be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.'" - Luke 2: 8-12

Upon reading this verse, the perfection of the wording struck me - "Today a Savior has been born to you." This Savior wasn't born for His parents but the angel told the shepards that He was born to them. Bethlehem was a small town and these were very poor shepards who worked on the outskirts of the city. What king would ever remember them? What king would ever chose to be born in a manger so that these poor, forgotten shepards would be the first to visit Him?

That's the beauty of God! He knows you suffer. He has seen the loneliness in your heart and how you feel cast aside at times. God knows your struggle and how you can't make ends meet. You work so hard and you try your best but it just never works out for you. You care so much and aren't appreciated. You're alone and if only God would do something to help you. How did you ever get to where you are now? That's how those shepards felt - alone, poor and abandoned, who would ever stop to care for them? What joy do they have in life? But God heard their cries and in His greatest moment of glory chose to be born to them, to show them that He is not the God of the rich, of the mighty, but He is the God of the humbled, the poor, and of the afflicted. Being God Himself, Jesus Christ lowered Himself out of His love for you and I and became a human being. This king chose to be born in a manger because not all who need Him can enter the palace of royalty, but He chose to come down to where we are. Tired, alone, empty - Jesus chose to be born where we are. So, as the angel said to them on that dark, lonely night, "don't be afraid," and get up to go see your Lord who was born to you in your affliction.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, You say in Your Word that You hide Your blessings from the wise, but make Yourself known to the humble and those that truly seek Your Way. Thank You Lord for being born to me and coming to be my heart's consolation. In Your Name we pray, Amen.