IN YOUR WRATH, O LORD, YOU WISH TO LIFT ME UP TO YOUR HEAVENS In the first lamentation, the prophet concentrates on the description of Jerusalem, the great queen, who has become a lonely widow with no one to comfort her; On that what dwelt upon her was because of her sins: And on that he (the prophet) moans in her name, and refers every rebellion and disobedience on her part, as though his own, for which he presents repentance, and seeks the divine intervention. But in the present lamentation, he reveals the bitterness of the divine wrath; on account of that what dwell upon the city is not haphazardly, nor because of the might of the enemy, but is a divine chastisement, “a calamity on the city” (Amos 3: 6)…. The goal of this divine wrath, is not for the sake of revenge, but to raise the repentant up to His heavens. This chapter starts by a description of the total desolation of Jerusalem, and a confirmation that it came by a command of the Lord Himself, using the army of Nebuchadnezar as a tool of chastisement. The divine judgment is presented in the following actions: 1- The desolation of all the habitations in Judah (2) 2- A total desolation of all the strongholds, walls, gates, boards, (2), about which it was said: “Walk about Zion, and go all around her; Count her towers; Mark well her bulwarks” (Psalm 48: 12, 13). 3- “Standing like an enemy, God has bent His bow, with His right hand, like an adversary” over the whole earth (4). 4- The Lord allowed for His temple to fall like leaves in autumn (6). 5- “The Lord spurned His altar” because of the unfaithfulness of the people; “He abandoned His sanctuary”, and allowed it to be trampled by the enemy (7) 6- “The law is no more; and her prophets find no vision from the Lord” (9, 14). The elders of the daughter of Zion sat on the ground, and kept silent; they threw dust on their heads, and girded themselves with sackcloth; for the desolation was overwhelming. 7- The kings and the rulers were captivated (14) 8- The Lord gave the enemies of Zion the freedom to open their mouth against her, and to destroy her cities and culture (16) 9- The young and old lie on the streets of Jerusalem fallen by the sword (21) In such a portrait of the horrible judgment, the human comfort would fail; But the prophet exhorts the people to seek the help and support from the Lord. 1- The dispute with the Lord 1 -- 9 2- Going down to the ground 10 -- 13 3- The false and true prophets 14 -- 17 4- A call to cry out to the Lord 18 – 22 1- THE DISPUTE WITH THE LORD: The prophet starts this lamentation by describing what dwelt upon Zion because of the wrath of the Lord on her. Jerusalem used to cherish the presence of the temple and the Ark of the covenant in her, the enjoyment of the divine presence, and bearing the reflection of the splendor of God, the true Light. Now, with the dwelling of God’s wrath, darkness prevailed on her; and instead of being the kingdom of light, it became the kingdom of darkness (Isaiah 64: 11; 60: 12). The Lord sent many prophets, to warn Judah; but the majority of the people – almost on all levels – scoffed their warnings. Jeremiah who was one of those prophets took a firm position in talking about the dispute with the Lord for the sake of reforming them. Here, he talks as a witness: “How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in His anger. He cast down from heaven to the earth the beauty of Israel; and did not remember His footstool, in the day of His anger” (1) God’s wrath was like a thunder cloud He released to descend with its whole might on the daughter of Zion. The kingdom of Judah assumed that she has a certain privilege, not only over the other nations and peoples of the earth, but even over Israel, on account of that it embraced the city of God, the temple, etc.; and of that it entered into a covenant with God. She did not perceive that those privileges will support and keep her as long as she keeps the covenant; Otherwise, her chastisement would be harsher than the nations that do not enjoy such privileges. When the Pharaoh of Egypt opposed God, darkness prevailed upon his land; And when the daughter of Zion did the same, darkness also prevailed on her from heaven; As though In her rebellion, she fell down from heaven, where the divine light is, and came down to earth into a horrible and terrifying darkness; … God will covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud , and did not remember, even His ark of the covenant in her. He who rebels against God, will hear the divine command: “Repent … Or else I will come to you quickly, and remove your lampstand from its place” (Revelation 2: 5). The expression “God’s anger” was repeated in verses (1, 2, 3, 6); For God, the wholly merciful and loving, intends salvation for all; but whoever persist on rejecting being attached to Him, will cast himself under the activity of sin, to be denied the mercies of the Lord, and to fall under His anger; which is not a mere stir-up, nor some kind of revenge, like that of men; but is rather forsaking him who rejects Him, who casts himself into the fruit of sin, namely into corruption. + When we read about the anger and wrath of God, we should not understand the expression according to the human emotion, but according to one befitting of God, who is above any emotion; We should perceive that He is the Judge and the Avenger against all the oppressive things committed in this world. According to the logic of these expressions, therefore, we should fear Him, being the fearful Avenger against our evil works, and should fear to do anything against His will; on account of that men are used to fear those whom they know as being firm, and fears to do them any offense; as it happens concerning the judges who are known to reach the climax of justice The avenging anger of such judges is usually feared by those tortured by their conscience; And while in the midst of this fear, the feelings of the judge before whom they are tried are characterized by justice, impartiality, and honoring the law he executes. Yet, however compassionate and gentle he may be, he would be seen as intensely angry and cruel, by those whom he justly and truly condemns. (St. John Cassian) “The Lord has swallowed up and has not pitied all the inhabitants of Jacob. He has thrown down in His wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah. He has brought them down to the ground. He has profaned the kingdom and its princes” (2) Having lifted up His protection, being, “a wall of fire all around His godly men” (Zechariah 2: 5), the Lord allowed for them to be swallowed up by the enemy, for their material (stony) strongholds to be destroyed to the ground; and for the their kingdom and their sanctuaries to be profaned by the pagans. In His love He gets angry and He chastens, in order to save and have mercy; He allows for the destruction of the stony strongholds, to let the believers have Him as a stronghold for their souls, in which the devil cannot force himself; and allows the pagans to profane the temple, to make the believers return to Him, and the temple of the Lord in them to be sanctified. God has previously threatened to destroy the city of Nineveh, to provoke its inhabitants to return to Him, and to avoid the devastation of their life and the inner cities of their souls. God gets angry, that by His anger He would have mercy on man. + God called on the prophet Jonah to go to provoke the Gentile nation to repentance. He sent him to threaten to bring down their prosperity to the ground; that through that threat they forsake their evil; If God had the intention of striking Nineveh because of the abundance of their iniquities He would not send His prophet to warn them; If He truly decided to bring harm upon it, He would have sent His wrath all of a sudden on it; Before raising His hand to strike her in her sleep, he called her and awakened her; He sent His prophet to the city to bring it back from evil; that through repentance they might have comfort, and avoid desolation; Once they knew that the wrath would come down from the Mighty God, they resorted to repentance; In fasting they strove against wrath; they put on sackcloth to go to war; the elder and the child, in terror, took the side of righteousness. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) “He has cut off in fierce anger every horn in Israel. He has drawn back His right hand from before the enemy. He has blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire which devours all around” (3) The horn refers to strength; as by it some beasts defend themselves. The Holy Book used the word “horn” to refer to power; We hear about “the horn of our salvation” (2 Samuel 3: 22; Psalms 18: 2; Luke 1: 69) ). Once the beast charges with its horn, its enemy would retreat. The Lord cuts off the horn of His people, namely, makes them powerless, and instead of making their enemy retreat before them, they, themselves would retreat in weakness and shame. Having carried our sins to redeem us, the Lord Christ gave Pilate the power to crucify Him; according to His words: “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (John 19: 11). God does not intend to cut the horn off His people; but it is man or the people who do it! How? …. According to St. Augustine, the horn is at the top of the head, namely, it occupies the leading position over the whole body. Yet, if man submits to his lowly body lusts, he would be as though has destroyed his own strength, by removing his horn from the leading position. In other words, being enslaved by the sin and evil desires, take away from him the spirit of power, and he would be hornless. As to the “flaming fire that devours all around”, it came in Amos: “Thus says the Lord: ‘For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, lies after which their fathers walked. But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem” (Amos 2: 4, 5). The Lord Christ, bearing our sins to destroy them, became like a flaming fire. “Standing like an enemy, He has bent His bow. With His right hand like an adversary He has slain all who were pleasing to His eyes; on the tent of the daughter of Zion. He has poured out His fury like fire” (4) The Babylonians defeated Judah; because, the Lord Himself, who was their friend and a stronghold to protect them, has turned into like an enemy; An animosity created by the sin in which Judah fell, on which they rejected to repent, and to return to God their Savior. Sin in the life of the children of God cuts off the fellowship that gives Him pleasure to make them enjoy with Him. That is because His pure eyes do not endure beholding evil. It was not said that God becomes an enemy, but “like an enemy”; for He bears no animosity; but, while chastenin His people, He may seem as though an enemy. Although God never forsakes any of His saints, yet He would not disregard any perversion in behavior. The Lord chastens the one He loves, and scourges those He receives. The lesson we, and the rest of Judah, should learn, despite the bitterness in it, is: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Psalm 50: 15).. When the Lord bent His bow; the daughter of Zion lost all what was pleasing to the eyes in her tents, of divine goods, splendor, spiritual beauty, and goodness.. St. John Chrysostom talks to us about the concept of God’s wrath, when an earthquake happened in Constantinople; most probably when the Empress sent him into exile. She got so terrified in her bedroom, counting the earthquake as a sign of God’s wrath because of sending the saint into exile; that she hastened to cancel her decision and command his return. + The earthquake has gone away; but fear is still there. … Do not let your reason go together with it. We have spent three days praying; I wish our zeal does not cool off. What brought the earthquake forth is our slothfulness; Let us therefore renew our zeal to send His Wrath away; I wish we shall not be slothful again, lest we would stir up His wrath anew. On the mouth of His prophet Ezekiel, God proclaims: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33: 11). … Have you seen how people died? … When the earthquake happened I wondered: Where is the robbery? Where is the greed? Where is the tyranny? Where is the arrogance? Where is the power? Where is the persecution? Where is robbing the poor? Where is the haughtiness of the rich? Where is the prevalence of power? Where is the fear? … In the duration of one minute, everything was torn apart like a spider’s network; everything was destroyed; the city was filled with cries, and everyone hastened to the church to pray. (St. John Chrysostom) “The Lord was like an enemy; He has swallowed up Israel; He has swallowed up all her palaces; He has destroyed her strongholds; and has increased mourning and lamentation in the daughter of Judah” (5) God intends to set out of man a king or a queen, of authority, and to make him live in a palace; Yet, if he turns his palace into a place for sin, man would lose his position, authority, abilities, and the exultation of his heart, to live in mourning and weeping. + “He pours contempt on princes, disarms the mighty”, (Job 12: 21), and lifts the persecuted up. While the Jewish people kept the law, when the Gentile world knew nothing about the commandments of God, the early father were called princes by faith; while others fell in the pit of disbelief. But once Judaism denied the secret of incarnation of our Lord, while the whole world proclaimed their faith in Him, the princes fell into shame, and those who once were down in the pit of disbelief, have got the true faith. Seen by Jeremiah by the eye of prophecy, long before it happened, he said: “The Lord was like an enemy; He swallowed up Israel; He has swallowed up all her palaces; He has destroyed her strongholds” (5). (Pope Gregory the Great) “He has done violence to His tabernacle, as if it were a garden; He has destroyed His place of assembly; The Lord has caused the appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion. In His burning indignation He has spurned the king and the priest” (6) The calamity dwelt upon everything and everyone: the temple (6), the feasts (6), the rulers (6), the altar (7), the sanctuaries (7), the city wall (8), the law (9), the children and the suckling (11). God has previously set our early parents: Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, to live a royal kind of life, in joy and exultation, offering sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, Here, God for them has been like a Guard in the paradise He created for them. But once they fell into the sin of disobedience, He removed His tabernacle, as though He departed from the paradise, and left it to be prevailed by the corruptive disobedience. What happened with our early parents also happened in a similar way with Judah that, rebelling against God, He took His glory away from His temple and His city, as He did from the garden of Eden; The synagogue was utterly desolated, together with the schools of prophets, priests, etc.; Even the throne of David, the anointed of the Lord, was destroyed for some time, until the time come for the Son of David to set a temple in the heart of every believer, and a new Jerusalem in the depth of his soul; when Christ Himself would dwell in the heart , as a High Priest, a heavenly Physician, a divine Teacher, a Leader, a stronghold, and heavenly food. The same thing happened again when the Lord Christ came, and was opposed and denied by the Jews, while the heathen Gentle nations received Him, and enjoyed His salvation work. What we say about Judah and the Jews, we may also say about everyone who rejects faith, whether by his tongue or by his behavior, + Meditating in what St. John said: “To His own He came” (John 1: 6) It is not for the need of the Lord Christ, as it is impossible for the divinity to need anything from anyone; but the Lord came to do good to His own. John goes on to say “and His own did not receive Him”. Although Christ came for their own benefit, yet they, not only rejected Him but they brought Him out of His vineyard and killed Him. + The Samaritans by their faith in Christ and receiving Him, shall judge the Jews , who, in spite of all His works and miracles He performed among them, resisted Him many times; whereas the Samaritans, even with no miracles performed among them, believed in Him (John 4: 39-42). (St. John Chrysostom) + In the midst of the ruins of Jerusalem, a cry-out of hope was heard,: [I am deserted in my afflictions]. By such a cry-out, Israel addressed the nations of the world, saying: [Because of you , I became an enemy of God; He who has chosen me as His beloved for my fathers’ sakes … Listen to my sighs, and understand the reason of my weeping; …. The blessing, in the first aspect, is to avoid sin; but in the second, it is to confess the sins we made to the Lord; … Once the rest of the world have got salvation, I shall in my turn also get it, O Lord, according to Your just judgments]. (The scholar Origen) “The Lord has spurned His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary: He has given up the walls of her palaces, into the hands of the enemy. They have made a noise in the house of the Lord, as on the day of a set feast” (7) Judah assumed that what happened to the kingdom of Israel by falling into the Assyrian captivity, was a natural fruit, for their dissension from Judah, setting kings not descendants of David, and building for themselves temples other than that built by King Solomon in Jerusalem by a divine command. … Judah believed that whatever evil they do, the Lord will never deliver them to captivity, for the sake of His temple and Jerusalem - His city; Their main praise was “The temple of the Lord. The temple of the Lord; The temple of the Lord are these” .(Jeremiah 7: 4). The prophet Jeremiah kept warning them against that wrong assumption, And now, as the dreaded captivation actually happened, he weeps over what dwelt upon the city, the temple, the people, the priests, and the rulers. “No strangers should ever come into the temple of God” (Nehemiah 13: 1); But, for the sake of the repentance of His people, and their return to Him, God allowed the enemy, not only to enter into it, but to destroy it. The Lord spurned His altar, for it was defiled by the Jews; He abandoned His sanctuary, for there is no fellowship between the Holy One and the heathen worship with all its abomination. As the Lord cannot endure a worship mixed with abomination (Isaiah 1: 13; Amos5: 21). He, by Himself has given up the walls of her palaces into the hands of the enemy. + Come out, O Jew, from the shadows which you serve; Come, and be wholly covered by the cross of light which you spurn; Offer no more sacrifices. The church does not seek bulls from you; But to offer yourself as a sacrifice by which you will be forgiven. No one seeks tithes, nor offerings from you; but yourself; When you come, do not bring forth a bull for a sacrifice, but come and have yourself cleansed by the cross to wipe out your iniquity; When your soul is red by iniquity like crimson, the cross will make it white and cleanses her from defilement; Even if you are defiled more than the dye of scarlet, the death of the Son will purify you, if you believe in Him; Moses, as well, has purified you secretly by our Lord; and by Him, all the sacrifices he offered were well received; Now, forsake the sacrifice and approach God by yourself; for He does not seek any of your possessions but seeks you; Cleanse yourself from your sin of killing the Lord, to let Him forgive your transgressions; In case you truly love the Father, believe in His Son. And in case you love the peace sacrifices, He is the Sacrifice; If you seek the purity of the soul, He will purify you; And if you covet your own will, He will scatter His blood over you. If you love Him, do not annul the law because of Him; For by Him all the sacrifices are consummated without blemish. He is the Priest, the Sacrifice, and the Forgiver of sins; Blessed is He, by whose secrets, the prophet Moses cured the whole people. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) “The Lord has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion. He has stretched out a line; He has not withdrawn His hand from destroying. Therefore He has caused the rampart and wall to lament; they languished together” (8) The line is used for construction, to ensure that a wall is straight and not inclined; but using it for destruction means that the walls are no more protective, but represent a danger, not on account of that the enemy will destroy them, but because they became so inclined on their own with no interference of the enemy. What was for protection has now come to be for danger. Using the line here refers to that the procedure of destruction is not haphazard, but is elaborately planned in God’s mind; it was so measured so as not to leave any part that could protect the city, even partly. As the wall and the rampart are no more capable of protection, they lamented together. “Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and broken her bars; Her king and her princes are among the nations; The law is no more; And her prophets find no vision from the Lord” (9) The talk here represents the condition of the Jews after the captivation has taken place; They have lost everything; they see no more miracles to reveal the presence of God among them; There were only few prophets left; They became as though in darkness, and do not know when they will be liberated from captivity. That was their condition as it came in (1 Maccabees 4: 46; 9: 27; 14: 41); which applies as well to the condition of the Jews from the days of the prophet Malachi, until the coming of St. John the Baptist; And from the time of the Roman Titus up to this very day. In Ezekiel it came: “Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders” (Ezekiel 7: 26). ….In the lamentation of Jeremiah: “The law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the Lord” (9). … And the book of the prophet Amos: “Behold the days are coming, says the Lord God, that I will send famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8: 11); … And in the book of the prophet Micah: “Therefore you shall have night without vision, and you shall have darkness without divination; The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them” (Micah 3: 6). The gates have fallen, not only to the ground, but sunk in it as though in mire; hence the gates have no more need for gates, as the destruction dwelt upon the wall, as well as upon the palaces; no building had bars to keep nor to support them. Having despised God’s law, they lost it; … Having rejected the voice of the true prophets, and listened to the smooth words of the false prophets, that provided them with false hope, the Lord took away from all of them the visions; … And having scoffed the prophet Jeremiah and the like, the time came for them to be denied of all prophets. + See how the Jewish nation has become a harlot! She despised and hated her Father since the days of Sinai; And as His Son incarnated for her salvation, she took hold of Him, crucified Him, and stood dancing, laughing, and ridiculing. Come, O Moses, look at how the bride whom you brought out of Egypt treats her pure Groom! Look at the banquet she put before Him; how she brought the myrrh, and mixed it with vinegar; how she drew out the sword; how, instead of the manna, she gave him vinegar; instead of the bitter water you made sweet for her, she put bitter in it for Him!; how the choicest vine produced wild grapes!” (Isaiah 5: 1) (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) + O Jews, When you come forth to Jerusalem, and find out how she became desolate, and turned into dust and ashes, do not weep like children (1 Corinthians 4); Do not grieve, but seek for yourselves a city in heaven, instead of that for which you search on earth. Lift up your eyes, to see the free Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all (Galatians 4: 26). Do not be sad on the absence of the temple here, nor despair on your deprivation of a priest; As in heaven you will find the altar and the priests of the goods to come, according to the rank of Melchizedek, in their procession before God (Hebrew 5: 10). The love and mercy of God allowed for the earthly inheritance to be taken away from you, to let you seek the heavenly one. (The scholar Origen) 2- GOING DOWN TO THE GROUND: “The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground and keep silence; they throw dust on their heads, and gird themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground” (10) The virgins of Jerusalem, saw how the elders of Zion, instead of performing their duty as men of justice, have taken off the cloak of justice, put on sackcloth, judge no more; and lost their positions and authority. Putting on sackcloth was a sign of intense sorrow. Here, the prophet portrays Jerusalem in a state of mourning, as he previously stated in his book, saying, “Judah mourns, and her gates languish; they mourn for the land, and the cry of Jerusalem has gone up” (Jeremiah 14: 2). The gates of the city became like phantoms coming out of Hades; the gates of Zion became, not the gates of the joyful kingdom of God, but the gates of hell, where mourning is unceasing, or the gates of death about which the psalmist says: “You, O Lord, who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion; I will rejoice in Your salvation” (Psalm 9: 13-14). How awful for the gates of Zion to turn from being the source of the gladness of the Lord, into gates of unceasing mourning, of perdition and desolation. + By their rejoice in “The Old of Days”, who became a child among them, the children weaved crowns of praise; The prophet Zechariah bore the spiritual guitar, and hastened to sing prophetical songs before Him; Joyfully he pulled its strings, and by his voice he sang: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion”. But the lowly bride (the Jews who rejected Him as their Groom), …. did not join the joyful procession to which they were invited, but felt sadness and contrition on the coming of the groom. Her heart was captivated by her beloved -- the golden calf – with whom she negotiates, and refuses to listen to the prophet who tells her to rejoice. She did not join the children who joyfully carried the tree branches; While the prophets kept knocking on her lofty gates to wake her up, she was sleeping with her multitude of lovers; While the children glorified and blessed the coming heavenly King, the old hag was preoccupied with cleaning her idols (their selfishness and the pride of their hearts). She felt sad with the coming of the Father’s Heir; Knowing for sure that He will expose her; she hated Him, and was not happy to hear the children glorify Him. Envy muted her mouth; she became mute, and attempted to mute those who glorify; She became mad at those who glorified Him; Isaiah cried out, saying: “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Jerusalem, the holy city” (52: 1). Zechariah cried out, saying: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion” (2: 10). And the children cried out, saying: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118: 26); But she listened, neither to the prophets nor to the children, but was mad at all of them; O Jews, haters of the light; how could you shut up your ears to the praise raised in heaven and on earth?! (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) “My eyes fail with tears, My heart is troubled; My bile is poured on the ground, because of the destruction of the daughter of My people; because the children and the infants faint in the streets of the city” (11) The prophet Jeremiah often warned the religious and the civil rulers, as well as the people, who did not listen to him; He kept talking to them with his tears, his heart, and his feelings, yet they scoffed him. Now, as the calamity did dwell on them, he did not gloat, despite the fact that they all discovered that his warnings and prophecies were all true; but, in his intense love for his people, he did not cease to weep, until his eyes failed, his heart was troubled, and his bile was poured on the ground; particularly when he saw how the children and the little infants faint in the streets of the city. He says: “My eyes fail with tears, My heart is troubled; My bile is poured on the ground” (11). There is no cure except by repentance, which seems capable to alter the intention of God! + Let the church – your mother – weep on you … Let the Lord Christ see them weep … For He will be contented to see a multitude praying for your sake. ….. Seeing the tears of the widow, and of the multitudes who wept for her sake, He was compassionate and raised her son; … And listening to the prayers of Peter, and to the weeping of the poor, He raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9: 10). + Come, O Lord to my tomb, and weep for my sake; because my eyes have dried up, and became unable to pour such tears on my own transgressions. … If you weep, O Lord, on me, as You did on Lazarus, I will be saved; … Call me, O Lord, out of the tomb of my body, and say: “Come forth”, so that my mind would not be confined to the narrow limits of my body, but would come out toward Christ, live in the light, and no more think in the works of the darkness, but of those of the light. O Lord, call Your servant, whose hands and feet are chained by sins; who is buried in a tomb of dead thoughts and works. Hearing Your call, O Lord, I shall be free to join those attending Your banquet, and smelling the sweet fragrance of Your Person. Granting someone salvation, You would keep him as well. About me it will be said: [See! Although her was properly raised in his childhood, and did not care to attend the services in the church; yet he was eventually drawn away from the vanity of this world, and joined the ranks of the singers, instead of the mourners; … he persisted on keeping his priesthood, not by his own strength, but by the grace of Christ, and now he sits among those attending the heavenly banquet. Keep Your work, O Lord, and guard Your gifts, even to him who fled from them; I know I was not worthy of being a bishop, on account of that I was too preoccupied with this world; but Your grace made me what I am…. Although I am actually the least worthy among the bishops, yet I was given some responsibilities concerning Your holy church, to watch over that fruit. … Now, having chosen me for priesthood, while I am lost, Do not allow for me to get lost while I am a priest!. The foremost gift, and the greatest virtue, is to know how to be intensely sorrowful together with those who sin. (St. Ambrose) “They say to their mothers, ‘Where is grain and wine?’, as they swoon like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out in their mothers’ bosom” (12) A horrible portrait of a child crying out of hunger and wounds while in his mother’s bosom, who finds no bread to feed him, nor wine to dress his wounds…. What is the grain and wine sought by the wounded while in their mothers’ bosom, but the body and blood of the Savior, capable of healing of wounds to the soul. Here is the cry-out of every child to have communion of the body and blood of the Lord (the grain and wine), to enjoy the spiritual growth and the new life, according to the words of the Lord: “He who feeds on Me will live because of Me” (John 6: 57) + While distributing the Sacraments, the priest cries out saying: [The body of God is given for the remission of sins; and the blood of the Son of God to purify of every sin]. Here he repeats the same words said by the Lord when He distributed the Sacraments among His disciples: “As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat, this is My body’. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you, for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sin’” (Matthew 26: 26-28). … We, therefore, as we repent, we approach to have communion of the holy Sacraments of our Savior; We approach as sinners in need; For, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9: 12). … It is therefore obvious that whoever approaches to have communion in the holy sacraments will have the remission of his sins, whether a priest or a one of the congregation. … If the Holy Spirit is not dwelling in us on account of that we are sinners; With what authority would the priest invoke the Holy Spirit (in the institution narrative) of the Sacrament of the Eucharist), and would the congregation approach the Sacraments? (St. (Mar) Filoxinus E-Menabgi) “How shall I console you? To what shall I liken you. O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare with you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is spread wide as the sea; Who can heal you?” (13) Saying: “What shall I compare with you?” refers to what the comforters sometimes say to the afflicted to appease his soul, that what dwelt upon him is less than what dwelt upon the others. But in the present case the prophet did not find a greater calamity than what has dwelt upon Jerusalem, to comforter her; for it has utterly crushed her, and covered her like a great sea. 3- THE FALSE AND TRUE PROPHETS: “Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions. They have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions” (14) Here he reminds her of the false prophets who opposed him and flattered her for their own benefit, saying that what he (Jeremiah) says are mere threats that will never happen. By saying that they have not uncover her iniquities, but have put a veil on her face, and denied her the chance to present a true repentance (Jeremiah 23: 16-22; 28: 9), and they have even cast her into captivity. … Hence the Lord warns us against the false prophets (Matthew 7: 15-23). When the true shepherd offers the Word without looking at the outer appearance, he seeks its fruit, for the sake of which the Word of God has incarnated, namely, (repentance). “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1: 15). By that the mission of the shepherd will be to present our Lord Jesus Christ, as a Redeemer, and a Savior for himself and for his congregation; And the words will come out of his mouth with love, yet with firmness, and with no softness nor looseness; The strong Word of God, capable of entering into the depths of the soul to shake, rebuke, and to crush her; Lest he would hear the words of reproach, saying: “Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions. They have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions” (14); And he would hear the prophet rebuke the flattering shepherds, who, instead of rebuking the sinners, they set for them pillows, to seek their words of commendation, and to gain their compassion and love: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls” (Ezekiel 13: 18). + To the sinners it was said: “Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions. They have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives” (14). … Notice how the ‘teachers’ were sometimes called ‘prophets’ in the Holy Book, on account of that they used to reveal the nature of the present, and proclaim the future. It is as though God accuses them of telling lies, if, for fear of evildoers, they commend them, and declare their innocence instead of condemning their transgressions. If the shepherds avoid to use the words of rebuke, they will fail to uncover the transgressions of the wicked; on account of that the words of rebuke are actually the key that would reveal the sin, which its doer is sometimes unaware of. Hence the apostle Paul says: “Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” (Titus 1: 9); And as also said by Malachi: “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge; and people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 1: 7).. That is why the Lord, on the tongue of the prophet Isaiah warns the shepherds, saying: “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet” (Isaiah 58: 1). For he who enters into priesthood takes the position of a messenger who should cry out aloud, and precede the coming of the just Judge who will follow in an awesome way. (Father Gregory the Great) “All who pass by clap their hands at you; they hiss and shake their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem. ‘Is this the city that is called the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth?” (15) After the whole world looked up at Jerusalem as being the perfection of beauty, power, and holiness, not on the architectural aspect, but because of the presence of the temple of the Lord in her, it became a subject of gloat and ridicule by her neighbors. That reproach which dwelt upon humanity and was demonstrated in the captivation of Judah, was carried by the Lord Christ for our sake, and by it, the One, Mighty and the Glorified by the heavenly hosts, became an object of shame and disgrace. If the devil envied the first Adam for what he enjoyed, and planned to bring him forth to death, he is still and will always envy every true believer to draw him away from the enjoyment of the fellowship with Christ, and to bring him to perdition by sin. He will never quit; … But who is with us is greater than who is against us. + What Does he mean by saying: “Through the devil’s envy,, death entered into the world” (Wisdom 2: 24). When that evil wild beast (the devil) saw that the first man was created to be eternal, he brought into him the feature of envy that is his, and provoked him to disobey the divine commandment, by which he brought on him the penalty of death. … For envy causes deception, deception causes disobedience, and disobedience causes death. … … Yet by His loving care, God gave eternity back to us, to become in a better privilege than what we had. The first caused us to be driven out of paradise; and the second led us to exaltation; The first caused us to fall under the verdict of death; and the second granted us eternity; The first caused us to be denied the joy of paradise; and the second set for us the kingdom of heaven; See how Your Lord, not only made you enjoy the great privilege of defeating the enemy (the devil), but He even submitted him to you, by the words, “He gave you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions” (Luke 10: 19). (St. John Chrysostom) + “Through the devil’s envy death entered the world” (Wisdom 2: 24). Although the devil presented death to us; yet man is not committed to accept it. It was your consent, O man, that led you to death. (St. Augustine) “All your enemies have opened their mouths against you; they hiss and gnash their teeth; they say, ‘We have swallowed her up; Surely this is the day we have waited for; We have found it, we have seen it’” (16) The enemies exulted, and assumed that what dwelt upon Jerusalem was by their power and authority, and that the day they waited for has finally come; They did not perceive that what happened was through the allowance of God for the sake of temporary chastisement. + The devil thinks that his happiness and success lie in having the authority over man, and in occupying his heart, mind, and all his energies, to lead him to his destruction; And, on the contrary, he counts coming out of man as failure on his part. (Father Theophlactius) When the Lord Christ consented to offer Himself as atonement for us, the devil exulted, as did those who crucified Him, to see Him as though in weakness. They assumed that they have finally managed to bring Him to perdition, and to get rid of Him forever. “The Lord has done what He purposed, He has fulfilled His word, which He commanded in days of old; He has thrown down and has not pitied, And He has caused your enemy to rejoice over you; He has exalted the horn of your adversaries” (17) What happened was not unexpected; as the Lord has warned them in the days of the prophet Moses (Deuteronomy 30: 1-5); by the prophet Jeremiah, and other prophets; yet they did not head His warnings (Jeremiah 51: 12). …. What does the prophet mean by saying: “The Lord has done what He purposed”? * He fulfilled the warnings He has repeated many times, which were ridiculed by the Jewish rulers and people, who counted them as not more than threatening words that will never be realized. * The Lord has done what He purposed, namely, to make them discover their illness, and return to Him, to bandage their wounded souls. * What happened to them reveal what man has fallen into through sin, for which the incarnate Word of God, by His consent, came to be crucified to save humanity from the perdition that dwelt upon her. 4- A CALL TO CRY OUT TO THE LORD: “Their heart cried out to the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief; Give your eyes no rest” (18) Here, the prophet addresses his call to the priests and the ministers, to keep on praying and weeping for the sake of every falling soul. If the Lord Christ, is the High Priest, and the perpetual Intercessor for His people before the Father through His blood (Hebrew 7: 25); The priest, being hidden in the Lord Christ, is called (Presbyter), namely (intercessor), whose main task is the perpetual prayers for the sake of his spiritual brethren and children. In his talk to his fallen friend ‘Theodor’, St. John Chrysostom says: [It is now a convenient time for me to utter these words; Yes, even more than in the days of the prophet. If I do not grieve for the sake of many cities, yet I grieve for the sake of a soul which is equal to many nations, if not more valuable. I shall not grieve for the sake of the destruction of a city, nor for its captivation by the wicked, but for the destruction of your holy spirit … ; for the destruction of the temple that carries the Lord Christ …For this temple is holier than that of the old covenant; … It is not adorned by silver and gold, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit; And instead of the ark of the covenant, and the two statues of the cherubim, there are in the heart, the Lord Christ, His Father, and the Holy Spirit (The Paraclete) (St. John Chrysostom) + “Listen, O Lord to my cry outs”.. No one has such confidence except the church; for the sinner will not dare to say “Listen, O Lord to my words”; … but, on the contrary, he will hope that God will not hear him. Meditate in the words “my cry outs”, that came several times in the Holy Book. They do not mean the cry outs of the mouth, but of the heart; as when God said to Moses: “Why do you cry to Me?” (Exodus 14: 15), when Moses did not utter a single word … Similarly, came the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “Give my eyes no rest” (18). He means to say: Do not allow my eyes to be silent; … for the eyes, as well, often cry out to God. + The good men perpetually grieve for the sake of the sins of others. Samuel in the old, mourned for the sake of Saul (1 Samuel 15: 35), on account of that he was slothful to treat his self pride with the ointment of remorse. And Paul wept for the sake of the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 2: 4), who did not care to cleanse the filth of adultery by their tears. And for the same reason, the prophet Ezekiel ate the book, inside and outside which was written. “Lamentations, mornings, and woes” (Ezekiel 2: 10): lamentations for the righteous, mourning for the lost, and woes for the sake of those about whom is written: “When the wicked come, contempt comes also; and with dishonor comes reproach” (Proverbs 18: 4); and about whom Isaiah said:, “And in that day the Lord of host called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth. But instead joy and gladness, slaying oxen and slaying sheep, eating meet and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (Isaiah 22: 12, 13). + The Savior also wept on Jerusalem, because her inhabitants did not repent (Luke 12: 41). And the prophet Jeremiah lamented on his un-repenting people, saying, “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night, for the slain of the daughter of my people” (Jeremiah 9: 1), and to explain the reason for his sorrow he said: “Weep not for the dead, nor bemoan him, but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native country” (Jeremiah 22: 10). We, therefore, should rather weep for the sake of those who, because of their crimes and sins, separated themselves from the church; and should weep, as well, for the sake of those who, once the condemnation or chastisement stop on them, they resume their life in sin. In this meaning, the prophet calls on the ministers of the church, whom he calls “walls and towers”, saying to each of them: “O wall, let tears come down like a river”(18); And the apostle St. Paul says: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12: 15); For your tears will soften the hearts of sinners, and may even make them weep as well. St. Jerome) + You may say: “If one man sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede (pray) for him?” (1 Samuel 2: 25) He did not say ‘No one will pray for him’, but said, “Who will pray for him?”; Meaning, he did not cancel praying, but wonders who would be ready to pray for his sake!. This is like what came in psalm 15, saying: “Lord, Who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” (Psalm 15: 1); in which he does not mean that no one will abide in the tabernacles of the Lord, or dwell in His holy hill, but he wonders who will be worthy of, or chosen for that privilege! In the same way, we should understand the phrase “Who will pray for his sake”; namely, there should be some spiritually exalted people, to pray for the sake of those who do wrong to the truth of God; who, owing to the enormity of their sin, are in need of an enormity of prayers. When the people in the old worshipped the golden calf, no one of the congregation prayed for their sake, but Moses himself. ….Was he wrong to do so? Certainly not; for he became worthy to seek, and he got what he sought’ … With an incredible love, Moses presented himself for the sake of his people, saying: “If you forgive their sin – but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written” (Exodus 32: 32).. Here, we see him, not thinking of himself, but of everyone, We see him forgetting all about himself, not in fear that he would probably be counted in contempt, but seeking to save his people from the danger of disobedience. Therefore, it is truly said: “Who will pray for him?”, Meaning, There should be someone like Moses, to present himself for the sake of the sinners; or like Jeremiah who, despite the Lord saying to him, “Do not pray for this people” (Jeremiah 7: 16), yet, he so did, and he got the forgiveness for their sake. For the intercession of such a prophet, the Lord altered His intent, and said to Jerusalem who, in remorse for her sins, said: “O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, the soul in anguish and the wearied spirit cry out to You. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned before You” (Baruch 3: 1, 2).. And the Lord commanded them to take off the attire of mourning, and to stop sighing, saying: “Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem; and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God” (Baruch 5: 1). + Seeing how heavy the burden of the sinners are, our Lord Jesus wept; He did not allow the church to weep alone, but He, Himself, had compassion on His beloved, and said to the dead: “… Come forth” (John 11: 43); Meaning, You who were cast in the darkness of the conscience, in the captivity of your sins, and in the prison of your crimes, “Come forth”, … Expose your sins to be justified; for “With the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10: 10). (St. Ambrose) + You should know, my beloved, that, As it is perpetually God’s wish for us to help all who set their hearts on remembering the church of the firstborn day and night, I, as well, never cease to mention you in my prayers day and night, asking God to make your faithfulness steadfast, to increase your works of virtue and your strength. That was always my supplication since I gave birth to you by Christ, and you came to be my children. The same way the apostle Paul did for his son Timothy whom he gave birth by Christ, to whom he wrote, saying: “Without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy” (2 Timothy 1: 3)..I, likewise, mention you, whom my heart love, in my prayers, and wish to see you, for I know your labor, your sighs, your sorrowful hearts, and your perseverance; and that you always do everything by a strong heart and wisdom; for, according to Paul, As God did not give us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of wisdom, and the strength of love; He seeks from us to do all His works with this wisdom. Now, my children, I ask the Lord to make my ways easy, to be able to come and see you; for I know that you, in turn wish to see me. And you should know that nothing in the whole world could equal this mutual love between fathers and children, who always wish to see each others. If that is the case of love between the worldly fathers and children, how much more would it be between the spiritual fathers and children, who love one others for the sake of God, and by His fear. The love of the fathers by God are greater than that of the fathers by the body; And the love of the fathers is greater than that of the children; hence the apostle Paul says: “If your love for me is little, mine for you is great”. Such is my love for you, O my children, greater than your love for me; Now, having become my children, let us work together, for God to grant us to see each others again; hoping that our getting together will bring you joy. I fervently wish to see you, so as, according to the apostle Paul, to benefit you by the gift of the Spirit, to strengthen your spirit, and to be comforted, all of us, by my and your faith. And when we shall get together, I shall let you know other things which I cannot put in writing; to make it for your salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be the glory, the honor, and the praise, forever and ever, Amen. (St. Anthony the Great) + Not all tears emerge from like feelings, nor out of one virtue: a- Weeping that is caused by the stings of our sins in our hearts, as is written: “I am very weary of my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears”(Psalm 6: 60; And, “Let tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief; Give your eyes no rest” (Lamentations 2: 18). Such a kind of tears come in a certain way. b- In another way, will tears that come through the meditation in good things, and longing for the glory to come; dense tears would then pour out of joy that could not be hidden, and exultation with no limits. For, thirsting for the Almighty God, our souls would say: “When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night” (Psalm 42: 2, 3); proclaiming that, with the daily weeping and crying, saying: “Woe is me, my soul has dwelt so long” (Psalm 120: 5). c- In a third way, tears pour, not out of feeling the deadly sin; but out of fear of Hades, and a remembrance of the awesome day of judgment; like the terror felt by the prophet, saying: “Do not enter into judgment with your servant; for in Your sight no one living is righteous” (psalm 143: 2). d- Another kind of tears that do not pour because of man’s knowledge of himself; but because of the cruelty and sins of the others. As when the prophet Samuel wept for Saul; And when the Lord himself wept for the sake of the city of Jerusalem; And when the prophet Jeremiah wept for her sake in the old days, and said: “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night, for the slain of the daughter of my people” (Jeremiah 9: 1) e- The tears mentioned in psalm 102, saying: “For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping” (Psalm 102: 9), certainly come out of feeling, different from those mentioned in psalm 6, concerning the repentant man; for they are caused by the troubles of this life, its afflictions and losses, that dwell upon those living in this world. (Father Isaac) “Arise, cry out in the night; at the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street” (19) Filled with grief, the heart of Jerusalem cried out to God, not to return to Him in repentance, but to seek from Him to take the affliction away. Hence the prophet exhorts them not to cease resorting to God, until they come to attach to Him by true repentance. How hard it has been for Jeremiah to see the walls of Jerusalem destroyed. If the material wall was destroyed, it was befitting of them to cry out to the true Wall – the Lord Himself – who is capable of surrounding them and protecting them. The night for the Jews in the old was divided into three equal watches (Judges 7: 19); each formed of 4 hours. The first watch from sunset until 10 o’clock p.m.; the second, called the intermediate watch, from 10 o’clock until 2 o’clock after midnight; and the third watch, the dawn or morning watch from 2 o’clock until 6 o’clock a.m., namely until sun rise. Whereas in the Roman era, the night for the Jews was divided into four watches (Matthew 14: 25; Luke 12: 38). Each watch of three hours. The night starts at 6 o’clock p.m., and ends at 6 o’clock a. m. While people used to go to sleep during the first watch, the prophet seeks from the daughter of Zion to hasten to pray and to seek the mercies of God, for the sake of her children at the beginning of the first watch. As for us, ministers, we are committed to have spiritual ;motherhood’ or ‘fatherhood’, deeper than the emotional love. A motherhood that surpasses that of the Canaanite woman; and a fatherhood that exalts above that of the pagan Centurion; on account of that it is the fatherhood or love of Christ in us, for those He has redeemed But I am ashamed to say that those two have surpassed us in faith and love. As for us, who are supposed to shepherd our children spiritually, when sin made them drunk, numbed their senses, cooled down their emotions and love; that they are unable to run after the Lord; They are in great need of prayers for the sake of the salvation of their souls, of liberation of the foolishness of sin, and of the paralysis of iniquity. Although they may be intellectually sound, and not physically paralyzed, yet their souls are dead by sin. Although we are committed to have our hearts moan, and not to give sleep to our eyes, and slumber to our eyelids for their sake, yet we are preoccupied by many things, by administrative, social services, complementary and official visits; … But, are there tears or weeping for the sake of the fallen? … Are there sighs to the Lord: “Lord, help us, for our children are suffering?! … Are there cry-outs together with David, “Rivers of water run down from my eyes, because men do not keep Your law”?.... Are there sighs together with Jeremiah: “For the hurt of the daughter of my people, I am hurt; I am mourning, astonishment has taken hold of me; … Oh, that my head is waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people; … I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains; and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation” (Jeremiah 8: 21; 9: 1, 10); And saying, “My eyes fail with tears, my heart is troubled; my bile is poured on the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the infants faint in the streets of the city” (Lamentations 2: 11); And, saying, “Let my eyes flow with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people has been broken with a mighty stroke, with a very severe blow” (Jeremiah 14: 17); And saying with the apostle Paul, “For thirty years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears” (Acts 20: 31). And how Jeremiah, during captivity seeks tears from the wall of the daughter of Zion; seeking from us, as well, being a wall for our spiritual children, to weep for the sake of those captivated under the bondage of the devil, saying: “O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief; Give your eyes no rest. Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him, for the life of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street” (Lamentations 2: 18-19). The apostle Paul taught us how to deal with the sinners; even with the like of that young man who committed evil with his father’s wife. For, although he sought to separate him from the holy congregation, lest the yeast may corrupt the whole dough (1 Corinthians 5: 6); yet he instructed them to keep on praying, and even wailing for his sake; For the wailing of the congregation and their sorrow, is the work of the living members for the sake of the sick among them to give him a chance to repent; then, once his heart softens, and he repents by his own free will; God will receive him, so should the church with joy. “See, O Lord, and consider! To whom have You done this? Should the women eat their offspring, the children they have cuddled? Should the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?” (20) What a horrible portrait!, for the hand of a mother to stretch to slay her infant because of hunger, that has reached its climax after 18 months of siege (Jeremiah 19: 9). As the Hebrew women used to offer their children sacrifices to the priests of god Molok, to pass them through fire; like the pagan women, hence God allowed for them to eat their own children because of hunger, to make them perceive how far they have reached of cruelty. What happened to the priest and the prophet was also a fruit of their works, having opened up the temple for the idols, the temple lost its role in keeping and protecting them. In his compassion on his people, the prophet Jeremiah cries out to the Lord, reminding Him that those people are His own people “Young and old lie on the ground in the streets; My virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of Your anger; You have slaughtered and not pitied” (21) He seeks from the Lord to see and consider what happened; as the destruction has reached even the children and young men and women; Namely, there will be no hope even in the future. The children, young, and elders had to go out to the streets to search for whatever food they may find; for they were consumed by hunger; and no one had the strength even to bury the dead. Perdition was collective, young and old, lie slain on the streets and in the sanctuaries, where they sought food and protection. Even the virgins, who were used to be kept away from battles to be taken later as spoils, were dead. All that happened as though in a set feast. “You have invited as to a feast day the terror that surround me. In the day of the Lord’s anger, there was no refugee or survivor. Those whom I have borne and brought up, my enemies have destroyed” (22) Jerusalem who used to be like a mother taking her children into her bosom in joy and exultation, like a rejoicing heavenly icon, came to be more horrible than the burying sites, full of corpses of every age and every category; with no one able or willing to gather and to bury. She became a place for plagues, with no one caring even to look at her sanctuaries. ----------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM LAMENTATION (Chapter 2) BRING ME, O LORD, BACK TO YOUR HEAVENS + My soul is terrified before Your anger, O Lord; Yet, in Your anger, You intend to lift me up to Your heavens; In Your anger, I feel as though darkness surrounds me on all sides. But, You, being the Sun of Righteousness, Do not forsake me, Shine on me by Your love; Pour on me Your splendor, to be fit for a kingdom; In Your anger, I perceive that my sins have cast me from heaven down to the dust; But heaven will remain waiting to welcome me back; Your anger came to be like an enflaming fire; Not to burn me, and to kill me; But to burn every corruption that dwelt upon my nature. + How amazing, that, getting in touch with Your anger; I count You as an enemy, aiming Your bow toward me; My soul wails within me, For who could stand before Your fiery arrows; I perceive that Your anger, in its essence, is nothing but love That there is no real animosity in You; For You are love itself; Your arrows will kill my evil; And will wound my heart with healing wounds; I am wounded with love; Your arrows will kill any animosity within me; And will enflame my heart with love toward You; I see You not far from me; You are in me, deeper than my depths; You are in my depths, high, higher than my heights; No one is nearer to me than You; You approach me and make me a member of the household of God. + Through Your holy anger, I perceive Your secrets; You hate all what is corrupt; To set out of my depths a holy sanctuary for You; You nail Your cross in my depths; You carry me in You, O the Atoning Intercessor; To be justified by You before the throne of Your grace. + My sins turned my inner Jerusalem into a tomb; Behold, the king, the rulers, the leaders, and all the people, even the children, have perished; They were captivated and humiliated by the devil; He destroyed their possibilities and corrupted their homes; Set my will a king who bears Your holy will; Support my heart, emotions, and senses, as leaders who work by Your Holy Spirit; The enemy has destroyed all my energies; But You, sanctify my whole depths to set Your kingdom inside me; I dare to say: “Not as I will, but as You will”; Work, O my Savior, by Your precious blood in me; Let Your grace fill the storehouses of my heart with Your goods; Your intention is to set heaven from dust; And angels from men; Here I am in Your hands; I confess that I often misunderstood the truth of Your anger; Be angry, chastise and let Your work in me; Set out of me whatever You intend to do with me; For no one loves me as You do; I wish I love myself as much as You love me; And seek for myself what You desire for me; Glory be to You, O Lover of mankind; I bow before Your holy anger; As well as before Your exalted love.
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