by Fr. Tommy Lane
When Jesus saw the crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34). They were lost due to the leadership of the time, but they knew that Jesus was the answer to their search. This caused Jesus to be deeply moved. In our English translation, it is difficult to see how much Jesus was moved when he saw the crowd. In Mark’s original Greek, Mark writes that Jesus was moved deeply within, moved in his gut, in his innards. Sometimes emotions can be felt in the gut and Mark wants us to understand that Jesus was so moved by the crowd being lost due to the leadership of the time that Jesus felt it in his gut. One local African translation (Shilluk) translates it this way: Jesus “cried in his insides.”
Can you imagine how Jesus is crying in his insides with the state that the world is in now? Parents also cry in their insides when a child wanders to a different lifestyle. While parents cannot do anything except pray and advise, it is good to know that God also cries when one of us loses our way. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father let the prodigal son go because if he tried to stop him it would have made the situation worse. Eventually the son came to his senses and came home. Although only a parable or story, we can imagine that if the father had not treated his son with kindness as he left home, he would not have wanted to face his father again. But since his father had treated him with such kindness, he knew he could go home again.
Jesus cried in his insides when he saw the crowd lost because of poor leadership. There was one occasion when Jesus cried not only in his insides but cried physical tears when he saw the crowd lost. It happened when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time and coming down the hill on the east of the city and seeing the city, Jesus cried because the city had not converted, and he knew it would be demolished a few decades later by a Roman invasion (Luke 19:41-44). The entire city was lost, and Jesus cried.
We can be sure Jesus cries now also because of the mess the world is in. Jesus’ tears are tears of love, love for those who are lost, and because Jesus loves everyone he cries when some wander away. Jesus’ tears confirm that he is always waiting for everyone to return to him just like the father in the parable waiting for his prodigal son to return to him. This gives us confidence in always approaching Jesus whatever our situation. We have every reason to have confidence in approaching Jesus because he said on another occasion “There will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10) Luke tells us about the woman who washed Jesus’ feet and dried them when he was having dinner in the home of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-50). She certainly felt welcomed back whatever her past. Once, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in adultery and Jesus said, “let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7) They all went away, and Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. God and from now on do not sin anymore.” (John 8:11) She did not receive condemnation from Jesus but mercy, as well as a challenge to live a new life.
When we see someone in tears it moves us. Knowing that we can, so to speak, cause God to cry, moves us. In our Catholic spirituality we have devotions to console God, if I could put it that way. We call these devotions reparation, repairing the wounds caused by our sins. There are a number of these devotions. Common ones are the First Fridays devotion, the First Saturdays devotion, devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus on Shrove Tuesday. Perhaps the most used prayer of reparation is the one taught to the children of Fatima by the angel: “O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended.” I like a description of reparation which we find in the writings of Pope John Paul II. He likened reparation to daily prayer standing beside the endless crosses on which Jesus continues to be crucified. (Letter to Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, September 27, 2000, §2) So if you are worried about a family member who has gotten lost, stand beside the cross of Jesus like Mary, the other women, and John the apostle, praying for that family member. As long as that family member remains lost, Jesus is still on the cross for him or her and you can pray by the cross of Jesus for him or her and console Jesus for his tears for your family member.
When someone is lost, Jesus cries inside and is always waiting for that person to return. While we cannot do anything except pray for and advise a family member, it is consoling to know that God also cries when someone gets lost. We can stand beside Jesus crucified anew and console him with reparation.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2024
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
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