Theological Foundations new file

66 Theological Foundations realize that it was he who was the cause of Jesus’ crucifixion and that he continues to crucify Him every day each time he commits a sin. And when he wonders who he should turn to now, he needs to remember that the Savior calls him to Himself despite the wounds, the injustice and the death that He had suffered. 34 In his desire to persuade man to undergo a radical spiritual transfor- mation, the author recalls our Savior’s tears. Jesus Christ weeps over a sinner even as He wept over Jerusalem when he foresaw its destruction (Lk 19, 41). “Consider, therefore, that if Christ the Lord could not stem the tide of tears caused by the terrible pain He felt as He foresaw and foretold the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, with what kind of sad- ness will He be filled, with what violent pain, with what kind of tears, when he foresees the fall of your soul or if He can already see it in ruin, devastated, unrestored?” “For the soul is the city of the Most High. The senses are the dwellers of this city, the members of the body — its buildings, the virtues — its ornaments, the flesh — its walls, the eyes and ears — its gates; the heart is its royal throne, its fortified castle, its strong tower. And so, come, O, my soul, to the aid of Jesus who is weeping over you! You will thus be able to hope not to fall into ruin or, should this have already happened, you will receive help to rebuild. Call your inhabitants, i.e., the senses, to put them in order and mortify them, so that they would not walk away from Divine Love again; so that they would not make offerings to idols, i.e., to sins, to their own will and to love of self.” 35 According to Father Stanislaus’ teaching, the compassion which is aroused at the sight of our Savior’s tears provides a strong stimulus to conversion. Jesus would have been greatly consoled if one of His friends had empathized with Him and wept over Jerusalem with Him. Similarly, He rejoices when we purify ourselves in tears brought on by daily living and when we make reparations not only for our own transgressions but also for the downfall of other souls who remain in mortal sin. He rejoic- es when we contribute to their reform by offering our intercessory prayers and voluntary acts of penance for them; when we try to return