Weeping for our children
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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Jesus turned and said to them, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children’ (Luke 23:28).
Read Luke 23:13–35
The story of Jesus’ death is not just the story of men. There were women there also. The women remained with him even after the men ran away. The women saw him first after the resurrection.
When we think of some of the women mentioned during Jesus’ life, we see Jesus’ acceptance and response to women as equal citizens, which would have been countercultural at the time. Think about the Samaritan woman, the woman healed from years of bleeding by touching the hem of Jesus’ gown, his close friends Mary and Martha, the woman who washed his feet with perfume, the widow with two coins to give at the temple, the woman caught in adultery, Peter’s mother-in-law. All these and others were recognised and treated with respect.
As Jesus was being led to his death, there were women in the crowd who were mourning and wailing. Unsurprisingly, Jesus acknowledges them. His advice is chilling and prophetic: ‘Do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.’
The loss of a lifelong partner, family member or friend can be tough. The thought of living without them is not easy, and it is because of this that our feelings of sadness well up inside us and can overflow into tears. The grief of a mother who loses a child is insurmountable. The pain is visceral – felt deep in one’s guts. I have heard it said that the hole (left by the death of a child) never heals. Where there is deep love, there is deep grief. You have to learn to live with it.
In these uncertain times, how many of us are weeping for ourselves and our children? What must it be like for those mothers in famine-stricken countries who see their children dying of starvation in war-torn areas that are inaccessible to aid agencies? Brian Neldner, one-time director of Lutheran World Service, says:
During a drought, there is a food shortage when crops fail. A famine occurs when the fabric of society collapses. People don’t move. They don’t respond. They are listless and they just sit there and they die. You smell death.
God of comfort and strength, be with all who weep for themselves and their children. Bring an end to the suffering of innocent women and children wherever they may be. Help them to find comfort and strength in your loving care. Amen.
Colleen has a husband, two daughters, three granddaughters and a wide range of extended family and friends. She lives in Adelaide and loves the way the various parts of her life intersect. Colleen is involved in numerous committees within the church and community. She loves to read. Colleen coordinates her congregation’s prayer group and is delighted to respond to requests for prayer from friends and family.
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