Deacon Brigid Waszczak

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,… How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
—Matthew 23: 38-39

Dear Sister and Brothers,

You hear the pathos in this poetic yearning of Jesus over Jerusalem, a tender lament. The image of a hen protecting her chicks recalls Psalm 91:4: He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Jesus wants to save Jerusalem but the people’s unwillingness to accept Him as Messiah prevents it. They expected a political leader, not a spiritual one, and rejected Jesus because he did not fit their expectations. The consequence would be destruction of the Temple and the unrealistic relationship with God that they stubbornly clung to.

The analogy of a hen protectively gathering her young beneath her wings is one of my favorite scriptural portraits. Like a tenderhearted mama bird shielding her offspring from harm, Jesus weeps that his desire to shield Jerusalem will not be fulfilled.

Jesus weeps over us, too. When we sin, Jesus (God) does not hate us and wish us ill. He grieves for our going astray. When we sin, we deliberately distance ourselves from Jesus (God). He sorrows for us, with us, knowing that disobedience distances the close relationship He desires to have with us.

“To err is human,” states St Augustine, “it is diabolical to persist in error.” He meant choosing to continue our error is a serious moral failing. We can convince ourselves that a position we take, a posture we adhere to, or an opinion we hold is virtuous and ethical.

I’ve been there. I’ve deluded myself into believing what I’m doing is justifiable. But eventually, my nagging conscience would not leave me in peace and I relented.

Are we as unbending as our ancient forefathers and mothers? Are we “stiff-necked” as Moses called the disobedient Israelites? Or as Jeremiah the prophet accused his listeners of being?

Jesus longs for us to accept His forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love. His tears rain down on our willfulness. By not forgiving ourselves for transgressions and wallowing in the weight of our errors, we linger unproductively while Jesus weeps.

We may feel unworthy but we are not. We are beloved children and, like any loving parent, God has already forgiven and moved on to the next best, future moment he freely offers. His faithfulness is our shield.

Peace,

—Deacon Brigid