This day refers to the time of the presence of the Messiah, who comes to establish justice and peace in the world, and naturally unity between peoples.***

Responsorial Psalm: 49(50)

To all who do righteously / I will show the salvation that comes from God.

1. The Lord God spoke, he called the earth, † from the rising sun to the setting sun he called it. / From Zion, full beauty, God shines. – R.

2. “I have gathered my chosen ones before me, / who sealed the covenant in sacrifices!” / Heaven itself witnesses its judgment, / because God himself is a judge and will judge. – R.

3. Immolate a sacrifice of praise to God / and fulfill the vows you made to the Most High. / Call on me in the day of trouble, / and then I will deliver you and you will praise me. – R.

Gospel: Luke 19,41-44

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

I wish you could hear his voice today: / Don't close your hearts like in Meriba! (Ps 94,8) – R.

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke – At that time, 41when Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he began to cry. And he said: 42 “If you also understood today what can bring you peace! Now, however, this is hidden from your eyes! 43The days will come when your enemies will form trenches against you and surround you on all sides. 44They will crush you and your children. And they will not leave you one stone upon another. Because you did not recognize the time in which you were visited.” – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

Touched by strong emotion, Jesus cries when he sees the city of Jerusalem. With this attitude, which reveals his delicate sensitivity, he expresses his first lament: “Ah, if on that day you too knew the message of peace!” This day refers to the time of the presence of the Messiah, who comes to establish justice and peace in the world, and naturally unity between peoples. However, the city ignored the long chain of ancient prophets with their insistent calls for conversion, and now rejects Jesus himself. The other lament refers to the destruction of the city and the terror that will fall without mercy on its inhabitants. Jesus knows that all of this could have been avoided if they had been faithful to God's plan. He reinforces why: the city “did not recognize the time in which it was visited”.