Bible Reading: Romans 12:15-18
Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it. (Luke 19:41)
A Reflection:
I think most of us who have seen the television reports of the devastation in Ukraine will have been moved to tears, or close to tears. It is hard to imagine what the people there have been going through as lives are lost, families are separated and homes and communities are destroyed.
Tears are a natural response to tragedy, whether it is a personal bereavement or national disaster. Tears help us to identify with their loss, just as laughter helps us to share another person’s joy.
But tears can be more than an emotional response, they can become a prayer in themselves as, through them, we express our heartfelt concerns to God. Tears can also become the impetus to do something to change the situation.
Jesus is recorded as weeping on two different occasions. He wept at the death of his friend Lazarus, tears that were a prelude to him raising Lazarus from the dead (John chapter 11); he also wept over Jerusalem as he looked over the city from the Mount of Olives, aware as he was of the forthcoming destruction of the city which would occur in AD 70. Then, although it broke his heart, he could only warn them of what was to come.
Writing to the Church in Rome, St Paul encourages them to weep with those who weep. Let us turn our grief over the situation in Ukraine to prayer for the people of Ukraine and their leaders, for the leaders of other countries involved in the conflict and also for the people of Russia and for their leaders.
Words are less important than our heartfelt cry.
Pray:
Lord, I bring to you the people of Ukraine…
They need you…
Amen
O Lord, the clouds are gathering