The Gospel according to John (13:21-33, 36-38) 

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?”
Jesus answered,
“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
“Buy what we need for the feast,”
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.

When he had left, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,
and he will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him,
“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later.”
Peter said to him,
“Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times.”

Reflection:

One of the places that we were blessed to visit on our recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land was a church called St Peter Gallicantu – named so because it was where Peter denied that he even knew Jesus.  It’s a church built over the ruins of the house of the high priest Caiaphas.  One thing that both of us recall from that church was the beautiful carved wooden door, depicting this conversation between Jesus and Peter as we have it in today’s Gospel.

When you look at the image (which we are including with this reflection), you see how Peter is saying just what the Gospel writer recounts – that he was ready to die for Jesus.  But, when you look closely at the face of Jesus, you see that He is saying by his posture that He knew that Peter wasn’t as ready as he maybe thought he was.

What does that mean, here as we are early in Holy Week and Easter is coming up this weekend?  The answer is simple – if even Peter, who failed Jesus and denied that he even knew Him, but was still redeemed and restored by Jesus, then couldn’t each of us do that, too?  

Jesus looks on Peter with love and longs for Him to be the good strong follower that Jesus knew Peter could be.  But, Peter obviously could not do it on his own.  It is the same for each of us.  In our hearts, we may believe that we can be strong people of faith.  But, we fail.  We sin.  We turn away from God.  Lent is the time for us to make a new start.  

We are here at the “home stretch” of Lent here in Holy Week.  Lent is the time for each of us to look for how we have fallen short in our mission as a follower of Jesus, and to promise anew to begin again and to do better.  One way we do that is by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and in many parishes, Lent is a wonderful time to seek that “big warm hug from God”.  At our own parish of St Rita, we have that opportunity tonight at our Lenten Reconcilation service.  

The point is, it’s not too late to turn again to God and to be reconciled.  It’s not too late to be that “good strong follower of Jesus” that we know we can be.  God is always available and the desire of His Heart is for us to turn to Him.  Let us not miss that opportunity this last week of Lent.  Let us do what we can to be truly ready in our hearts for Easter Joy this coming weekend!

Action for the Day: If you have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, take time today to thank our loving, forgiving Lord for that wondrous gift!  Ask God for how you can be of service to another today.  And, if you haven’t yet been to Reconciliation, it’s not too late.  You could even come to St Rita’s tonight for that gift (or to another parish that may be near you – if you’re not sure, call your parish office and ask!).  

If you would like to hear this reflection, click the link below!  

Gospel according to John (12:1-12)

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.

Reflection: It’s easy to do things for people when you love them. It’s easy to spend all your worth or to wipe the feet on someone you love and adore. This passage gives us a good deal of meaning through its examples in this scripture. Mary’s gift of love, along with Judas’s deceitfulness, has greater significance because of how it contributes to a series of developments.

• Jesus’ “hour” is near, so He spends time with His friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus right after the crucial scene of Lazarus’s rebirth. That is the “sign” that brings many to believe in Jesus, many to flock to him, yet others plot his death. When Jesus mentions his burial, this confirms that his end is coming. Yet Lazarus’s presence at the table confirms that death does not speak the final word.

• Jesus forges the connection between the anointing and his burial. Jesus suggests that Mary’s keeping the perfume in her possession and using it on him now have consequently achieved a greater, more meaningful purpose that she perhaps intended: announcing the nearness of Jesus’ death and preparing for his burial.

• The sweet smell of Mary’s perfume counters the stench that came from Lazarus’s tomb. Life and death or wholeness and corruption remain contrasted throughout both scenes.

• Mary’s wiping of Jesus’ feet foreshadows the time when he will wipe the feet of his disciples. This makes her as a model disciple, for the washing and wiping of feet expresses a unity with Jesus and reflects his command.

• Readers know that Judas is “a devil,” but John chooses this point in the narrative to reveal him as a thief. This creates a clear opposition between him and Mary. He is false; she is true. He is greedy and self-serving; she is generous and enthusiastic in her devotion.

St. Paul of the Cross says, “Since we, as Catholics, know the end of the story, there is a temptation to gloss over the grim reality of Holy Week. Although Jesus has indeed conquered sin and death and has in fact opened up the gates of Heaven to us all, his suffering and death–this act of perfect love–was an integral part of the process. His redemption of our souls was only made possible by his suffering, death, and Resurrection. “Do not pass one day without devoting a half-hour, or at least a quarter of an hour, to meditation on the sorrowful Passion of your Savior. Have a continual remembrance of the agonies of your crucified Love, and know that the greatest saints, who now, in heaven, triumph in holy love, arrived at perfection in this way” 

Worship of God is the right thing to do and it’s an act that will transform us into the person you were made to be.  We were made for worship and adoration of God, and this is accomplished when we humbly honor our Lord with our whole self. We need to worship Him, honor Him and make Him the center of our lives.  We need to humble ourselves before Him and serve Him.  Not because He needs us to treat Him this way, but because we need to treat Him this way.  Honoring Him in our humility and love is what we need to do for our own holiness and happiness.  This Gospel invites us to look to Jesus and to make Him the center of our adoration and love.  It invites us to willingly pour out all our labor (wages) for Him (symbolized by the perfume worth 300 days’ wages).  This story invites us to do the same.  Nothing is worth more than an act of our worship.

Action of the Day: Reflect, today, upon the depth of your own adoration of our Lord.  Are you willing to “spill” your whole livelihood upon Him?  Is He worth more to you than 300 days’ wages?  Is He the most central part of your life?  Do you daily humble yourself before Him and pour out your heart to Him in prayer?  Reflect upon this humble act of worship that Mary offers Jesus and seek to imitate her beautiful example. Whose feet will you wipe?

Audio Reflection:

The Gospel according to John (10:31-42)

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” And many there began to believe in him.

Reflection:  As we draw closer to Holy Week, and to Good Friday, we begin to see that hatred was growing toward Jesus.  To hate Jesus and to desire to stone Him to death is an act of the greatest irrationality.  But this is what happened.  Little by little, those who were against Jesus grew in boldness until that ultimate day came when He laid down His life for us and willingly embraced His death.

Over the next two weeks it’s good to face this irrationality and persecution head on.  It’s good to see the hatred of so many and to name it for what it is.  No, it’s not a pleasant thought, but it is reality.  It’s the world we live in.  And it’s a reality we will all face in our lives.

When confronting evil and persecution, we should do so as Jesus did.  He faced it without fear.  He faced it with the truth and never accepted the lies that many people threw at Him.  

The fact of the matter is that the closer we grow toward God, the greater the persecution and hatred we will encounter.  Again, this may not make sense to us.  It’s easy to think that if we are close to God and strive for holiness everyone will love and praise us.  But it wasn’t that way for Jesus and it will not be that way for us either. 

One key to holiness is that in the midst of persecution, suffering, hardship and sorrow, we stand firm in the truth.  It’s always tempting to think that we must be doing something wrong when things do not go our way.  It’s easy to be confused by the lies that the world throws at us when we try to stand for goodness and the truth.  One thing God wants of us, in the midst of our own crosses, is to purify our faith and resolve to stand firm in His Word and Truth.  

When we face some cross or some persecution it can be like getting hit in the head.  We may feel like we are in a daze and can give into panic and fear.  But these are the times, more than any other, when we need to stand strong.  We need to remain humble but deeply convicted about all that God has said and revealed to us.  This deepens our ability to trust God in all things.  It’s easy to say we trust God when life is easy; it’s hard to trust Him when the cross we face is heavier.

Action: Reflect, today, that no matter what your cross may be, it is a gift from God in that He desires to strengthen you for some greater purpose.  As Saint John Paul the Great said over and over during his pontificate, “Do not be afraid!”  Face your fears and let God transform you in the midst of them. 

Audio Reflection:

The Gospel according to John (8:51-59)

Jesus said to the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” So the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

Reflection:

One of the questions most Christian’s struggle with is the divinity and humanity of Jesus. It’s not so much that He was both, but we wonder if he was fully aware of his divinity as a human being. This is a question that goes way beyond our scope here in a few paragraphs but is absolutely within our grasp as we explore our own divinity as human pilgrims. After all weren’t we created in the image and likeness of God! However, maybe what we are called to consider in today’s gospel is what Jesus promises those who keep His word, eternal life.

Let’s consider for a moment our struggles with this promise. First there is our constant struggle with sin and feeling unworthy. Then there is the bar that we measure ourselves with. It is always too high so we will never seem to get to a point where we think we are doing enough or good enough. And last, how can we ever be like Jesus who had to have know who He was and as the Son of God had it made because He had the golden ticket.

As I was thinking about all of this, I was reminded of Philippians 2:6-8 where we hear that Jesus emptied and humbled Himself to become like us. Yes, he knew who He was, but He willingly let all that go so he could share in our humanity to a degree that left no doubt He was all in. And as one of us in ALL things except sin He had the credibility and empathy to teach us and lead us by example. His humility led to an obedience that pointed to the Father in all He said and did. Yes, he says that before Abraham came to be, I AM. But let us never forget His obedience to the Father led Him to Jerusalem, to suffering that none of us could ever imagine, and to a cruel death so that we would never die.

When the divine became human in the form of a little babe the history of mankind was shifted in such a way that life would never be the same. When Jesus, after a public ministry that granted sight to the blind and set captives free processed with his arms loving wrapped around the cross our divinity was assured when He rose from the dead to remove the sting of death and open the gates of heaven forever. The chains of sin and death have been broken.  Let us rejoice and be glad

Action of the Day:

As Palm Sunday and the Holiest time of our year approaches let us continue the deep dive into our faith journey and leave the doubt of our worthiness in the desert. Our divinity can never be earned or merited. Allow His grace and mercy to bring you to the surface of divine awareness and be the light this worlds needs in your corner of God’s creation.

Audio Reflection:

The Gospel According to John (8:31-42)

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.” They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!” So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication. We have one Father, God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”

Reflection: “The truth shall set you free”. Has there ever been a statement that makes more sense then this? We read this beautiful passage as we round the corner and head into Palm Sunday. Since God is all knowing, being truthful to God, and ourselves just makes sense. We can’t hide anything from Him so why put falseness between God and us.

To carry the emotional weight of lies and deceit takes more effort as well as the physical trauma to our heart and to our soul. 

I recently watched a movie, made several years ago, called Good Will Hunting. I’m sure many of you have seen this movie, it captures the essence of this passage. It’s the story of a troubled man who is struggling in his adult life as a result of a traumatic childhood due to a physically and mentally abusive stepfather. His problems range from guilt to the fear of losing anything or anyone that he develops any type of close relationship.

He blames himself for all of his deficient social skills; he finds it impossible to face the truth that he is NOT the cause of these problems, but the result of the abuse. And after developing a close relationship with a therapist, who like him was also abused as a child finally finds peace in his life.

The peace comes in the form finding the truth in himself and a release of the burden of guilt the he himself put on his heart. 

The story never mentions faith or the love of God; it does truly emulate the power of love and compassion, to the audience, who witnesses the fullness that only the truth can bring to two caring souls. 

Action of the Day: If you have not been to reconciliation recently, now is the perfect time to do so. Remove that burden that continues to weigh you down and affecting how you live and how you love. And not just to those close to you, but to everyone that you encounter in your life. Always be true to your self.

Remember that the TRUTH shall set you free!

Audio Reflection: