Dan Allen ’07, ’11 M.Div.
Spirituality Program Director, Notre Dame Alumni Association

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.”  Luke 19:41-42

Our visit to the church called Dominus Flevit, meaning “The Lord Weeps,” seemed to color the rest of the day today. The words of Jesus were applicable in his time, and they remain so now. Relatively soon after Jesus’ death in the year 70, Jerusalem had been largely destroyed by the Romans, and it has been a place of periodic conflict in the years to follow, even to the present day.

During these pilgrim reflections, I have intentionally focused on our experiences from the perspective of faith, but I will note that the continuing political tension between Israelis and Palestinians has been present while we have been here. And while this is not the forum to discuss all of this in great detail, I will at least say that the past and current conflicts between groups, including followers of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, leave me with a sense of sadness. When we move past dialogue and resort to violence, it is a breakdown of our common humanity. Each day at our Masses, our intercessions have included prayers for peace in Jerusalem, the broader Holy Land, and our world, and that will remain our prayer as we soon depart.

Looking out over Jerusalem from a similar view that Jesus had nearly two millennia ago, I considered the many other types of things that cause us to weep and how God moves in solidarity with us. While on this pilgrimage, we have been praying the approximately 2,000 prayer requests submitted by the Notre Dame family of faith, and listed in those intentions are many sources of weeping in people’s lives. We have prayed for people experiencing debilitating illness, the death of a loved one, failures of spiritual leaders in the Church, children who have lost their faith, marriages in conflict or brokenness, job losses, and much more.

Some of these prayer requests are difficult to read, so we can only imagine the pain of those living in these situations. In fact, when I explained to our group what we were doing a few days ago and first distributed the prayer sheets, our bus became suddenly quiet for a prolonged period. It was clear that our pilgrims had already started to pray the intentions and have continued to do so in the days since.

All of us have crosses to bear, some of them quite heavy depending on the season of life. We often have little recourse but to call out for help, and that includes asking people for their prayers. The beauty of being on pilgrimage with this group is that I have seen people caring for each other in concrete ways. A few of our members have mobility issues, and the Holy Land is far from even terrain. Despite their best efforts, sometimes a few people have fallen behind the group. Each time this has happened, I have seen the kind concern from fellow pilgrims who have stayed with the people, even providing them assistance in overcoming some obstacle, until the whole group is back together. It is a sight that gives me hope in the human spirit, even in a sometimes troubled land.

Another stop on our way today where weeping was a theme was the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, and it is the reported site of St. Peter’s denial of the Lord and Jesus’ imprisonment the night before he died. We are all familiar with Peter’s story. He vows his fidelity to Jesus at the Last Supper, but just as Jesus warns, he is later overcome by fear and swears that he does not even know Jesus. Upon hearing the rooster crow, he goes out and weeps bitterly, ashamed at his capitulation to weakness.

We can all think of moments when the ugliness of our sin has caused us sorrow. For various reasons, we have fallen to temptation and reneged on our baptismal promises. We feel regret for the times we have hurt others or failed to do what we know is right. Thankfully, the Church provides us with numerous opportunities to move past these actions and to allow grace to change us for the better. Many of them are available during Lent, which is itself a season of repentance.

To seek forgiveness, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, is one of the most freeing things we can do to leave our sins behind. And when we let go of our grudges and offer forgiveness to someone who has hurt us, both people benefit from the exchange. As I lay down to sleep tonight, that will be my prayer for our lives, our world, and this sacred land, that we would allow a spirit of forgiveness to rule our hearts so that all may live and worship God in peace. If we do that, our weeping will someday be turned into everlasting joy.