27 October 2016
Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel we see how Jesus yearns to bring the populace of Jerusalem back to the love of the Father as a hen gather’s her brood under her wings. This desire for this closeness and love stands against the stark reality of rejection and defiance. At times in our lives we have felt like Jesus, confused and hurt by the rejection of a family member, a former friend, or a son or a daughter. There is always that extra pain when we become distanced from friends and family for whom we should instead be close and caring. There are of course no easy answers to why separations and differences occur but in all this pain we should follow the example of Christ as best we can and always be ready in our thoughts and in our words for openness, forgiveness, and dialog.