Daily Devotional for May 25

 

May 25                                                           Luke 13:31-35

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets! Jesus
wept over the city that had killed the messengers who went
before him. He knew that he, too, had to go up to Jerusalem
to stand trial and be murdered to satisfy those who refused
to hear the message of God's love. He knew that he would
join his brother and sister prophets who had also called for
repentance, justice, and faithfulness. He was going up to
Jerusalem to die.

He wanted to gather his children together, like a mother hen
who protects and nurtures her brood of chicks. But the priests
and elders of the nation would not humble themselves and
seek God's redemption. They cared only for their survival and
power. They chose to sacrifice the common people, the poor,
and the radical young prophet who called the people to healing
and love. They refused to accept his blinding truth.

We always kill the prophets who are sent to us. We martyr
them. Then we saint them. Finally, we ignore them. Once they
are safely dead, they no longer challenge our comfortable
hypocrisy, our indolent charity. We can settle down once more
to our daily routine and recall their fine words in celebration
of their birthdays.

O Jerusalem, you killed the prophets of ancient Israel.
Together, we crucified the Hebrew prophet, Jesus. In our day
we sacrifice our prophets: Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Oscar
Romero. We cannot hear the truth. We cannot see their vision
of justice, a vision that would heal our land. We cannot bear
their love, a love that enfolds the wounded and helpless little
ones into their embrace.

               O Jesus, when will we learn the lesson
     of Golgotha? When will we learn to love? When will
       we learn to see your face and hear your voice in
                the prophets you send into our lives?

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.