Reading 1
Rom 8:31b-39
Brothers and sisters: If God is for us, who can be against us? He did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written:
For your sake we are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly hrough him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gospel
Lk 13:31-35
Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”He replied, “Go and tell that fox,‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.’
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,but you were unwilling! Behold, your house will be abandoned. But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Meditation: Luke 13:31-35
You will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Luke 13:35)
Have you ever tried to put yourself in this verse? Jesus so longs to gather us to him, and yet we refuse. We don’t have time. We’re too busy at work. Life is hard right now. Maybe later. Maybe later. We can find so many excuses to keep away the one person who will not add to our burdens. Somehow we have become convinced that he will ask more of us than we can bear.
We like the illusion that we are in control of our lives and that somehow God will ruin our autonomy. We lose sight of the fact that none of us has ultimate control over our fate, and we see Jesus as a threat to this illusion.
But Jesus promises that if we bless him and praise him, we will see him. We won’t necessarily see him with our physical eyes. But we will see him in our hearts. We will know that he is with us, because we won’t be so quickly tossed about by the wind and waves of life in this world. We will sense his love and presence during times of sadness. We will know that we are not alone, even if everyone else has abandoned us. We will see his comfort and his peace when he answers the deepest cry of our hearts—the longing to be with him.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Sing it out! Shout it out! Rejoice! Jesus, the Savior and Messiah, has come. If we can just put aside our self-consciousness, we will discover the freedom and joy that come from praising the Lord with our whole heart. It doesn’t have to be a big production, and it doesn’t have to disrupt our day. All we have to do is stop a few times each day and praise and bless the Lord for a couple of minutes.
If we just recall Jesus’ goodness and the salvation that he has won for us—if we just praise him for all of this—we will be lifted up. So let Jesus gather you to himself today. Praise and bless him today, and watch as his power and his joy fill you.
“Jesus, I bless you and praise you today, for you are my salvation. Come, Lord, and lift me up to your presence!”
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