Luke34: 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ 31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” I would love to hear your thoughts. I always thought this passage was in reference to the fall of Jerusalem, but now I feel Jesus was talking to us for the end times. I keep remembering how the New York legislature cheered when they approved legislation approving abortion up to birth. Actually cheered. God have mercy on our country,
I think you are right. It can be interpreted in the light of abortion and the contraceptive mentality.
I think, just my opinion here, that this passage could probably be applied to both the fall of Jerusalem and the end times. Of course, the abortion industry is short sighted. If this world is to be expected to continue, how will it do so if babies are constantly being aborted? Like the death of the "holy innocents" in the time not long after Christ was born. Herod had all the baby boys killed off just because he felt threatened. He of course didn't know that he would be dead before too long anyway. Joseph took the child and his mother to Egypt until the death of Herod. Anyway, the death of innocent victims is a cry to God himself. As God told Cain after he killed Abel, "His blood cries out to me from the ground." We can't hide anything from God. He sees all and will punish us unless we turn back to him and confess our sins. I may be wrong here, especially since I came from a Protestant background. I remember reading books by Hal Lindsey, and hearing some end times teachings. One movie I saw two different times, both in Church, was "A Thief in the Night." It had to do with the "rapture." In Baptist preaching/teaching at that time, true believers would be raptured out of the world before the great tribulation. But the bible never says that. It never says we would be without suffering. As I was often told back then, if you're suffering because of something, it must mean you aren't really saved. But where does it say that in the bible? In fact, Jesus himself said we would suffer. If he did, and we aren't greater than he is, then we will too. We are human, and can expect some sorrow and/or suffering to come our way. We just need to know that God has our back. And we need to encourage each other, and help where we can.
I've always felt that if we do not suffer or have pain, we will not understand or appreciate what Jesus did for us. By having pain we can align our suffering with his.
I'm like you, I used to think it was about the past but now I think it was about Jerusalem and our times. I saw this photo of a newborn with his mother shortly after the lockdowns began last year and thought of Luke 21:23 and the passage that you quote too. Poor mother, poor baby. It's not just the covid stuff for new parents now, it's all the craziness beyond it that we all know. I feel for mothers with small children nowadays. We are blessed to have the answer (consecration to Mary) but we should be doing it for other children too. It's the only protection for little ones.
I had not even considered the COVID impact. Definitely heard expectant mothers showing concern about hospitals and the vaccines
The pro-Life group at our parish asked us to fill out a card and put it in a little cradle under the Blessed Mother statue. We can spiritually adopt an unborn child, give it a name and pray for it to be born. In October there will be a big baby shower and proceeds will go to Birthright.
That photo is the saddest and most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life. The baby just came out of her body, for crying out loud, s/he is immune to everything she is. Isn't it more important to feel your mother's skin than to risk covid when it's such a tiny risk anyway? This actually makes me demented it's so stupid and wrong.
Here is the certificate my church was using to spiritually adopt baby. Also could be printed as a reminder. Our pro/life group is planning to send updates on the baby’s development over the next nine month. I am new and not sure if the attachment will work. If it’s not there oh well
When I try to explain the Catholic doctrine of "reparative suffering", I ask them a simple question. EVERY SINGLE PROTESTANT I have asked this question, get it wrong. THREE-QUARTERS of the priests I ask this question, they get it wrong too, but immediately correct themselves. The question is this: Who carried the Cross to Calvary? The Protestants immediately reply "Jesus!" and are annoyed when I tell them they're wrong. The correct answer is "Simon of Cyrene". If Simon had not carried the Cross for Jesus (albeit unwillingly) the Sacrifice on the Cross would not have taken place. When Jesus sends us suffering, He is inviting us to unite our suffering with His, in helping Him to carry the Cross.
One thing that is missing from the Stations of the Cross is Simon of Cyrene helping Christ to carry the cross. It has the three times he fell, and all that. But I know the "truth" about Simon carrying the cross. It even had that in "The Passion of the Christ." I have a copy of that movie, but after watching it once, I hesitate to watch it again. At least, not by myself. But I have no one to watch it with. Anyway, it graphically portrays what the bible tells about His last hours. But the Protestants teach that since Christ suffered and died for us, we won't have to suffer. They ignore the places where Jesus said we would suffer. "The servant isn't above the master, nor the student above the teacher." And he also said that the world hated him, and would hate us as well. So, he said we would suffer as he did. But they want to get around that. I guess, back then it was called the "health and wealth" gospel. If you were really saved, God would take care of all your problems and you would have need of nothing since he would fill all your needs. What a load of baloney. I've had depression since the age of 7, and I'm convinced that it had to do with what was going on in the family. My mom denies everything, but I had given up even then. Why? All I know is I just gave up on life, so when the church started teaching that once I became a Christian, it would all go away, I jumped at the opportunity to "convert." Well, my problems didn't go away. The seemed to grow worse, which made it all the harder on me. So, I'm working with little to no self-esteem. I do have an email friend, David, who is Protestant. And, yes, we go head to head sometimes on what the bible teaches. But he has seen so much of what I've been through that he is supportive when problems come up. I guess I've probably told him everything over the years, which makes a difference. But, no, there are no wedding bells there. He's 10 years older than me, and lost his wife a few years ago. He had a good, long marriage and has no plans to take on someone else. And I would rather he be just a friend anyway. I guess he's more like an older brother who I can share things with. And neither one of us plans to "convert" to the other's church. We are where we think God has led us, and plan to keep it that way unless we are led to change.
It is wonderful that David has been there for you, Christy! Concerning the highlight above: When I was young, my Mom had a lung disease that was very debilitating. When she, in addition, developed gallstones, surgery was out of the question because of her frailty. So when stones passed she would suffer greatly, but offer it up for various intentions. It was a great lesson for me, though when a teenager I would leave the house; I just couldn't handle watching her in pain. In the Scriptures, Saint Paul also understood redemptive suffering. Just as Jesus identified personally with each one of us (Acts 9:4 And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"5 And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting), Paul chose to offer up his suffering in return (Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church). SUCH A PROFOUND MYSTERY!
Ok, I checked. You're right, the fifth station is about Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross. I guess I was thinking along the lines of a Station of the Cross Shrine in Colorado. I went there once, years ago. It was very impressive. Each one was so life like.
