Jeanette Renouf

My dear friends,

In the first part of today’s Gospel (Luke 19: 41-48), Jesus laments the fate of Jerusalem and he weeps over it. He bemoans the fact that they can’t see the things that make for peace and will therefore suffer greatly.

He then goes to the temple and drives out the money changers and others selling things, claiming the religious authorities have made the temple into a den of robbers instead of a house of prayer.

Jesus is clearly unhappy with the way people are living and treating one another. This was not what God had in mind when he created humans in his image.

Jesus, in this Gospel story, reminds me of the Noah story in Genesis, when God becomes so unhappy with the way humans have turned out that he decides to destroy it all and start over. However, Luke tells us, Jesus continues to teach in the temple, to try to change people’s behavior to be more loving and accepting and, we are told, people listen.

The religious authorities do not like his message, or that people want to hear him. People believe him and listen because he lives what he teaches. They see his life and know that they can trust what he says.

It is very easy to say you love someone but love is more than words, it has to be actions, as well. Jesus believes that God loves people who are not welcome at the temple; Jesus welcomes them, eats with them, heals them.

The authorities condemn Jesus for eating with sinners. But we are all sinners, and God forgives us and we repent and start over.

God continues to this very day to send us prophets on how to live the life we were created to live. Yet we continue to kill one another, sometimes in the name of God, and to behave as if we still don’t know what makes for peace.

God wants us to live in peace and harmony and love with one another. We claim to want this, as well. Jesus showed us it is possible—as have others. Will we never learn?

I pray that each of us may be a living example of Christ’s love in the world, welcoming the stranger, forgiving as we have been forgiven, and being a peaceful, loving presence.

In love and peace,

—Jeanette