Journaling Archives - Page 19 of 68

“It is finished!”, said the Son of God at the crucifixion. Yesterday, I decided to watch the movie, Son of God in preparation for Good Friday services. I hoped it would help me better visualize the events we commemorate today. Throughout the movie, I tried to put myself in Jesus’ shoes – to feel what He might have been feeling. I thought of how we are all called to be like Jesus. When I think of being like Jesus, I think of mercy, compassion and love. The movie reminded me that we are also called to bear our crosses patiently. As I pondered my life and how I handle or react to certain situations, my first thought was “I can never be like Him” and immediately I heard “You CAN be, with His help.” Isn’t THAT the truth? Scripture tells us so. For nothing is impossible with God.

Then another thought as I watched the scene of the Last Supper. Jesus became incarnate in order to make known the beauty, power and Truth of God the Father. Throughout all of Scripture, we see that many people came to know the Father through Jesus and were nourished by His PRESENCE among them. By associating regularly with Jesus, His apostles gained wisdom, courage and understanding. The apostles grew in compassion and love. They desired to be holy like Jesus and He knew it.

He also knew that He could not leave them without giving them something that would continue to nourish them in his physical absence. THAT’S why He instituted the Eucharist. His Body and Blood is currently given as nourishment to help us on the journey just as Jesus, in His physical body, did for His disciples some 2000 years ago. While it’s true that Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit as guide, He knew that we humans “of little faith” would need something visible and tangible in order to believe He was still with us, present with us day by day.

Finally, I pondered His words “It is finished.” His earthly life is finished; our sins are finished; Mary’s anticipation of the suffering she would endure is finished; His own physical pain and suffering was finished; His mission was finished. Later, as I sat in church after Good Friday service, I looked up at Jesus on the cross with arms outstretched and I thought of what those arms symbolize. Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest; Your sins are forgiven; I have loved you with an everlasting love, I have called you and your are mine; let the children come; I AM victorious!

I hope this day is a reminder of the unconditional love of Christ who gives us the nourishment we need to be more like Him. Never forget that nothing is impossible for Him! God bless you.

Today is Holy Thursday – a day we commemorate the Last Supper. Just a few days ago, during the liturgy, we heard the Gospel of John 13:21-33, 36-38. It reads:

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.”

At first glance, the words “satan entered him” jumped out at me. I don’t know about you, but when I think of Judas Iscariot and his betrayal of Jesus, I simply think of him as an ungrateful, greedy, evil man. Obviously, anything evil comes from the evil one, but those words serve to magnify the exact moment of Judas’ “conversion.” Just a few passages before, we hear of Judas getting upset when Mary used expensive performed oil to anoint Jesus’ feet. He argued that she could have sold it for 300 days wages and given the money to the poor. Was he for real? Would he have given the money to the poor? His greed was obvious. Money was his business.

I don’t believe Judas was created for the role of betrayer. He was one of the 12 for goodness sake! The REAL Judas, the Judas God intended would never have desired nor been able to betray Jesus. Yet Satan was able to enter him. How? He let down his guard. His greed crept in and temptation weakened his defenses. He lost his focus on what was really important! A lesson to all of us to STAY AWAKE!

Betrayal is not the only theme of this Gospel. It seems that denial is as well. Notice how all the Apostles reacted when Jesus said one of them would betray him. No one thought they were capable. They all went on the defensive. No one wanted to admit that they might be capable of betraying Jesus. Did they think they were perfect? As much credit as we might want to give the first disciples of Christ, I often think they were just like us. They were in denial of their flaws and brokenness. Like us they struggled with reconciling their humanity with their holiness.

Peter claims he’ll lay down his life for Jesus and yet, when the going gets tough, he denies Jesus three times. Think of the disappointment Jesus must have felt over the betrayal and denial. Disappointed, yes. As a matter of fact, the Gospel says he was troubled but never once do we hear that he was angry or begrudging.

As we approach Holy Thursday and continue through the Triduum to Easter, let us follow Christ on the road to Calvary. Let’s make it a time of complete surrender and mercy. Think of people in your life – the Judas’ and the Peters; look in the mirror and contemplate how you might be a present day Judas or Peter; think of the “places” in your life that make you feel agony similar to that felt by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In all these things, pray for the strength and courage to accept God’s will as Jesus did – no matter what comes. Pray for the compassion and mercy to forgive as Jesus forgave just before he died on the cross. Lastly, look forward to a new life in Christ as you enter into the Spring season and receive the message of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday!