Gospel Reflection for The 20th day of November in the year of Our Lord, 2025
Luke 19:41-44
41 And when he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: 42 If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace; but now they are hidden from thy eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side, 44 And beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee: and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone: because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation.
Consider, for a moment, what would have happened if Israel had accepted our Lord as King and Messiah... How different history would have been! Of course, Jesus knew that they would not. He knew that the same people who hailed Him as king on Palm Sunday would demand His crucifixion just days later. Still, He was saddened. He was saddened both as a man whose people, His genetic kin, would reject Him, and as the God who would be rejected by His chosen people. He saw the horrors that would soon befall the Jewish people. Each one of them, He had formed. Each one, He knew in the womb. Each one, He knew more intimately than they knew themselves. And, each one, He loved absolutely with a depth that we cannot fathom. The saints have told us that the loss of even one soul brings pain that we cannot imagine to His Sacred Heart.
But, what if they had chosen differently? According to God’s promises in the Bible, the Jewish people would have ruled the entire world. All the peoples of the earth would have become Jewish. Jerusalem would be the spiritual and political center of the world. More than that though, the devil and all the forces of evil would have been defeated. Our fallen world would rise and we would be restored to the immortal and perfect state of our first parents. This is what was meant by the Kingdom of God being at hand. Unfortunately, they did reject Christ. Instead of peace on earth, their nation was destroyed, the Temple destroyed, they were slaughtered and the survivors dispersed throughout Europe. The persecution of the Jews continues to this day.
But, the Kingdom of God was still established. And, it was established through the Jews. The Jewish Apostles founded our Holy Catholic Church and about half of all Jews converted to Catholicism within the first two centuries of the Church. They then went forth and brought in gentiles from all nations. The promises given to God’s Holy People were transferred to all peoples of all nations through the Catholic Church. Rome became the spiritual center of the world. But, the Church does not rule politically.
While the Kingdom of God is at hand spiritually, we still await our Lord’s Second Coming for the establishment of peace on earth and the restoration of our fallen world. Before then, we will suffer the horrors He foretold, as Satan is still the ruler of our fallen and evil world. Things will get much worse, and we are told that most Christians will fall away during the worst times. Jesus said that we must endure to the end to be saved. We must keep the true faith and continue in hope. That was the mistake the Jews of His time made. They “chose unwisely” to quote an Indiana Jones movie. Much of Christendom has already fallen away, unwisely choosing a counterfeit form of Christianity that is easier but not what God intends. How will you choose?
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January - June, 2026 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FWJMD7CL
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic
Beautiful! Praying for perseverance.