Weep Not for Me But for Your Children

And there followed Him a great multitude of people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented Him. But Jesus turning to them, said: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over Me; but weep for yourselves, and for your children (Luke 23:27-28)

What did the words of our Lord mean?  Haydock's Bible Commentary provides the insightful meaning of these words:

If you knew the evils that threaten and must soon fall upon your city, upon yourselves, and upon your children, you would preserve your tears to deplore your own misfortunes. My death is for the good of mankind; but it will be fatal to your nation because you have been pleased to make it so. In the ruin of Jerusalem, which is at hand, happy shall they be who have no children. They shall save themselves the grief of seeing their sons and daughters perish miserably, and in some sort of suffering as many deaths as they have children to die. Calmet.

Yet, in a mystical sense, they also apply to us. Our Lord's death was the most efficacious death in the history of the world. But we live in a world that has divorced itself from God. Even the Church is undergoing an immense Passion and Trial in the world brought about by the sins of her members. We are right to weep and lament the Passion and cruelty inflicted on our Lord, but we should weep greater for souls who are actually lost and go to hell.

How much penance are we doing these days of the Triduum for souls that are far from God? Our Lady of Fatima has asked for penance repeatedly. Let us offer all of our sufferings and penances of these final hours of Lent for the conversion of souls and for reparation of sin.