Our Lord's Tears

Engraving of Jesus' Lamentation Over Jerusalem
by Gustave Dore
In meditating on one of Fr. Patrick Peyton's Sorrowful mystery passages, I was struck by the thought of Jesus crying. When I think of Jesus, I think of him as a serious young man, thoughtful and wise. Yet, I'm sure our Lord had a sense of humor. Even more striking is the thought that he also wept.

We have the passage in Luke (19:38-42) as he entered triumphantly into Jerusalem:

"...They proclaimed: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.'

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.'
He said in reply, 'I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!'

As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, 'If this day you only knew what makes for peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes'..."

We also have the passage in John 11:32:35 when Lazarus dies:

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to him, 'Sir, come and see.'

And Jesus wept.

My poor Jesus, you shed your precious tears while you walked the earth and now you continue to weep for all the pains we cause you by our sins. May I in my small and meager ways try to relieve your sufferings daily by little sacrifices of self-denial.