jesus

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us?”

Our Gospel reading for today begins with a feeling of despair. The hope of Jesus being the Messiah, the promised one who came to redeem and deliver his people Israel died a brutal death. Even though Jesus sought to prepare his followers for this reality, they could not conceive or believe that the promised Messiah could die.

Cleopas and his companion are in mourning as they walk along the road to Emmaus. They have left Jerusalem and are commiserating among themselves about their dashed hopes. They were so sure that Jesus was who he said he was, now what were they to do? Jesus met them where they were and wove his way into the conversation and their journey.

When the time for them to part arrived, Jesus motioned to them that he was continuing on. The pair of disciples urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over” (Lk 24:29). Jesus did just that and he revealed himself to them “in the breaking of the bread”(Lk 24:35).

The account of the road to Emmaus has significant relevance for our own spiritual journeys. How many times have we had an inaccurate understanding of Jesus in such a way that we felt let down? Have we domesticated Jesus, or limited who he is, seeing only one aspect of his totality, attempted to shape or conform him into our image and likeness? Have we prayed for something and then that petition or intention was not fulfilled in the way we had hoped? Have we sought Jesus and felt that he wasn’t there for us in our time of struggle or during those times that we felt that we needed guidance?

We need to remember that Jesus meets us where we are, accepts us as we are, walks with us even when we are walking in the wrong direction. While at the same time, he reveals to us the truth. We then need to decide to continue on the path leading away from the love of God or to turn back and into his open arms waiting for our return.

Following the truth that Jesus sets out before us means that we will be stretched beyond our comfort zones, urged to let go of our safety nets and training wheels, called to repent from our sinful ways by resisting the temptation to curve in upon and isolate ourselves. Instead we need to be willing to risk, to be loved, and to love in return. Through our relationship with him, Jesus invites us to nothing less than experiencing the transfiguring flames of Trinitarian Love.

Spending time reading and meditating upon the wonderful, daily readings from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels available to us right now will set our hearts aflame as happened with Cleopas and his companion. As this pair returned to the community of Jerusalem, may we gather each Lord’s Day, to hear his word proclaimed and to experience him revealed in the breaking of the bread.

As we put into practice what we hear and receive, we too then will begin to: see Jesus more active in the midst of our everyday activities, recognize him in our daily events and even in interruptions, be more inspired to share the sacrificial love we have received from Jesus with those around us, and come to realize that Jesus is more present and closer to us than we are to ourselves. We just need to invite him to walk with us on our journeys, even and especially when we are heading the wrong way!!!

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Photo: While praying with the mysteries of the Rosary, not only my heart, but the sky was burning!

Link for the Mass reading for Wednesday, April 3, 2024

We experience the miracle of the Resurrection at each Mass!

As we continue through our Easter readings we are given glimpses of encounters with the risen Jesus. This is good news for us, as the risen Jesus of the Gospels is the same Jesus who we can encounter each day.

In today’s Gospel, Mary does not return with Peter and John after having observed the empty tomb. Mary stayed by the side of the tomb and wept. She then peered into the tomb and witnessed two angels. As she turned back, she saw who she believed to be the gardener. She questioned him as to the whereabouts of Jesus. Mary sought a rational reason for where the dead body had gone. When the man did not immediately answer, she must have turned away again, because Jesus said to her, “Mary” (Jn 20:16)!

Upon hearing her name, Mary Magdalene recognized Jesus.

Peter and John left the empty tomb. We do not know why. Maybe they wanted to confirm to the other disciples that Mary was correct about the empty tomb? Mary could have gone back also, but something impelled her to stay. It could have been the sorrow that brought her to tears, it could have been her dedication and faithfulness to Jesus to find him, to anoint him as she had come to do that first early Easter morning, it could have been that she did not know what to do next, or that there was a sense beyond her understanding that compelled her to stay. Whatever the reason shortly thereafter, Jesus came to her. She recognized him not at first, but when he called her by name. When she called him “Rabbouni”, Jesus asked her to, “Stop holding on to me”.

What was Mary holding on to? Though mistaking him for the gardener at first, she came to recognize that he had indeed come back to life. But in calling Jesus Rabbouni, teacher or master, Mary was going back to the relationship she had with him before. Jesus was transfigured, he was different than he was before. Jesus actualized the perfection of his humanity, while still retaining the fullness of his divinity. Though his mission would not be complete until he returned back to the Father with his Ascension.

In the accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus, there was not only a newness to his appearance, but his relationship with his followers were also transformed. He was not coming back to avenge those who betrayed him. Jesus charged Mary to return and convey the message he gave her to his “brothers”. Jesus is revealing to Mary the intimacy of relationship with him that she personally experienced when Jesus called her by name. And this was only a foretaste of the greater intimacy to come at his Ascension, when he would return to the Father and unleash the power of their divine communion of love through the power of the Holy Spirit that would be experienced by his brothers and sisters at Pentecost.

We are heirs to the same promise that Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles, shared with the Twelve. Jesus has become the firstborn of the new creation and through our baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we are offered the invitation to participate in his death and resurrection as well and share in the same intimacy of Jesus’ life and love that he shares with his Father.

The miracle of the Resurrection is revealed at each Mass when Jesus, Body and Blood, is represented again. Around the altar we gather as his brothers and sisters to be configured to his Body, and as we consume him, we are not only being nourished by the Bread of Life, we are being perfected, divinized by the trinitarian love, and being transformed into the image and likeness of the Father that we have been created to be. This is why Easter is such a cause for joy and celebration!!! This is why, like Mary who was sent by Jesus, at the end of Mass we to are sent forth to, “Go and announce the Good News of the Resurrection” in our everyday lives! Alleluia!!!

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Photo: Beginning of Easter morning Mass where I was blessed to assist Fr. Nick and his parishioners at St. Clare Catholic Church, North Palm Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Stolen or Resurrection?

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were bewildered from their encounter with the angel and the empty tomb. As they ran to get the news to the disciples, they were also dealing with mixed emotions, feeling both “fearful yet overjoyed” (Mt 28:8). Then in the midst of their travel they were greeted by Jesus, he assured them and then sent them to tell his“brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Mt 28:10). Off the pair went to share the message: Jesus had risen!

At the same time, some of the guards who witnessed the event at the tomb took a different way and headed into the city to meet with the chief priests. They relayed the incident about the earthquake and the angel appearing to them and the two women. After deliberating, the chief priests and the elders paid the guards a large sum to perpetuate the tale that his disciples took Jesus away.

Who would be believed, the two women or the guards? Apparently both! Mary Magdalene and the other Mary fulfilled their first apostolic role and passed on Jesus’ message to his disciples for them to meet him in Galilee. Galilee was where the public ministry of Jesus began. They would all go back to the beginning. The tale spread by the guards would also be believed, because by the time of the writing of the Gospel of Matthew, the community, to which he wrote, were aware that, “this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day” (Mt 28:15).

Did Jesus really rise again from the dead as the angel, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary claim or was this an elaborate plot by the disciples of Jesus to stage his resurrection, as the guards portrayed? How we answer these questions ought to make a difference in our lives. If we say that we believe in Jesus and that he rose again, do we live our lives any differently than those who say they don’t believe?

We, who follow Jesus who rose again, are to be like the angel and each Mary. We are to be an Alleluia people, allowing the risen Christ to proclaim through us to those facing death – the promise of hope and life; to those living in the darkness of sin and addiction – the inviting light of a new direction; to those who are weak and indifferent – our presence and accompaniment. Each day of this Octave and during this Easter Season, may we become less, so that the risen Jesus, who is our Way, our Truth, and our Life, becomes more.

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Photo: Sanctuary of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Palm Beach Gardens, FL before the Easter Vigil this past Saturday night. Ready to celebrate the Resurrection!!!

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, April 1, 2024

We are an Alleluia people because death does not have the final answer, Jesus does!

Mary of Magdala comes to the tomb during the wee hours of the morning while it is still dark and finds the stone rolled away. She runs to Peter and John to share with them the news, that: “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him” (Jn 20:2). Peter and John retrace the steps of Mary, running to find the tomb empty as well. All three are stunned because “they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (Jn 20:9).

How can we blame them? Do we fully understand the reality and fact that Jesus has risen from the dead? Some make the conjecture today that Jesus did not really die, but woke up three days later, aching all over from the excruciating effects of the crucifixion. Others say that the accounts of the resurrection were mass hallucinations, or that the Gospel accounts of Jesus rising from the dead are mere myth. These propositions do not stand up to the fact that Jesus, fully God and fully man died, entered death, and conquered it. In so doing, he then entered a new life, a new reality. Jesus, in becoming the firstborn of the dead, was transfigured from our three-dimensional reality that we all know and experience, such that he now resonates at a higher pitch, in a higher dimensional reality. Jesus is the firstborn of the new creation!

All human history changed in that tomb because of this new fact of the resurrection of Jesus. How this happened is a mystery and seeking to understand, which is good, will fall short and be frustrated if we only approach the mystery of God in the same way that we tackle a problem to be solved. The Apostles and disciples of Jesus struggled to find meaning and understanding regarding how Jesus crucified was now gone from the tomb. They came to understand the mystery of the Resurrection, the same way that they came to understand the mystery that Jesus is fully human and fully divine. Understanding happened in their encounters with Jesus. The mystery of the Resurrection is not a problem to be solved, but a person to encounter, a relationship to embrace, as it was for the Apostles and is so for each of us.

Faith seeking understanding is grounded in having an encounter with a person, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Pope Francis writes about this on page nine of his Joy of the Gospel: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness.”

Easter Sunday is the day where this joy first truly became possible, and this joy is needed now more than ever. And yet, as we read in our gospel, Easter Sunday did not begin with a full brass band and banners waving. For: “On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark and saw the stone removed from the tomb” (John 20:1).

Mary reacted as most of us would. She sought some point of reference. The stone was opened, someone must have stolen the body. When we encounter a mystery, we seek to understand. Jesus, time and again, transcends our comfort zones and the parameters of our finite attempts to seek meaning. When we are willing to seek with our reason, open our minds and hearts to encounter the reality beyond our reason; when we allow ourselves to wonder and allow ourselves to encounter Jesus; our Fridays of pain, suffering, and grief become good, our Saturdays of silence and the between times become holy, and the Resurrection is the fulfillment of the promise that we do not suffer and believe in vain.

Jesus who is the Christ, has truly risen – Alleluia, Alleluia!!!

We are an alleluia people. God has not only loved us into existence, but through his Son, we have also been loved into the promise of eternity, where suffering and death will be no more! A promise I believe even more strongly on this Easter, as I celebrate my fifth one without JoAnn. I hope that she is now celebrating along with Mary and the saints and that she is now where we will one day be rejoicing, because Jesus has opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed, death that he conquered, and his Resurrection that we celebrate today! Alleluia!

May God bless each of you and fill you with the peace, joy, and love of Jesus his Son! Happy Easter!!!

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Photo: Our last Easter vigil together, April 20, 2019.

Francis. Evangelii Gaudium, Joy of the Gospel, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press, 2013.

Link for Mass readings for Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024

Jesus and Mary are with us in our experiences of Holy Saturday.

This is Holy Saturday. We remember how Jesus was in the tomb and wonder how the disciples of Jesus feel. Were their hopes dashed by the death of their teacher as they hid in fear that they might be next. Could he really have been the Messiah if he has died? Anguish, fear, doubts, and despair are heavy weights.

Some glimmer of hope though may come as they gathered and recalled what Jesus had said and taught. Peter, James, and John were especially privileged to have seen the transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus had raised Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son, and Lazarus from the dead. Was Lazarus with them now? Could he have provided some possible hope that since he was raised, that Jesus may indeed rise again as he promised?

A powerful claim. But could it really happen?

Holy Saturday is that in between time. In between the death of Jesus and his resurrection. A place between despair and hope. All may appear to be lost, but then again there is the promise of Jesus. Did Mary and the Apostles trust him? Do we? As I shared yesterday, it is our pain and suffering that we carry into our Holy Saturdays. To heal, we need to be willing to carry those emotions that we would rather not experience and not deal with, because we might fear that if we do, we will be undone or that they will be too overwhelming. And yet, it is in taking that risk, entering into and experiencing our pain that we experience the comforting presence and love of Jesus. Jesus who experiences our pain with us as well as his Mother, whose heart was pierced when the centurion’s lance pierced her Son’s heart. And it is in experiencing our suffering with them that there can be a path to healing.

We often find ourselves in the same emotional maelstrom as did the disciples. We have heard that he is with us and that he loves us no matter what, but there is this period of dead silence. Holy Saturday is that time of waiting, that time of silence, and that time to draw deeper into believing even when we cannot see or experience with our senses. Holy Saturday is also a time to ponder and embrace the truth that it is not all about us. In looking beyond ourselves to the Passion of Jesus: his suffering, crucifixion, and death, our problems and sufferings may be adjusted with our focus and perspective on him instead of us.

Too often our minds tend to focus on the worst case scenario, and in times when we don’t feel or experience Jesus’ presence, we need to trust that he is not absent and that he has not abandoned us. Jesus is right by our side. We may not be aware because of our focus or he just might be challenging us to go deeper in our trust and faith in him. When we do, instead of feeling like we are sinking in the mud, we will come to find that our feet are set on solid rock, the Christ the Son of the living God.

Photo of a closeup painting of William Bouguereau’s, Pieta, hanging in the main conference room at the Our Lady of Florida Retreat Center, North Palm Beach, FL.

The crucifix and Good Friday, a reminder of Jesus’ love for us.

Jesus was betrayed, arrested, falsely accused, tried, scourged, and beaten. Jesus carried his cross, was crucified, and with his words, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30), Jesus died. The gift of a crucifix is that it is an icon of the moment of the death of Jesus. Having a crucifix is not a morbid fascination with death, nor a rejection of his resurrection. The crucifix is not a magic talisman, but a sacramental, that helps us to remember the reality of what the Son of God, who became one with us in the fullness of our humanity. Jesus embraced all of it, all the way even unto his death, giving his life for us that we might have the opportunity to be born again, to be one with him, to be deified, and live with him forever. Without the crucifixion, there would have been no resurrection.

On this Good Friday, let us spend time in venerating Jesus on the Cross, meditating before a crucifix, before this expression of the most intimate act of Love ever expressed in human history. This icon expresses the wonderful bestowal of the grace of God upon humanity. We are reminded that we have a God who has experienced and understands betrayal, loss, suffering, pain, anguish, and even death. Jesus is relevant to our lives because he meets us in our chaos and suffering.

In making time to be still and looking upon the cross upon which he died, seeing his body slumped and lifeless, we can call to mind the times we have been betrayed, the struggles, trials, pains, sorrows, and losses that we have or are enduring right now. We can also recall those times we have betrayed and hurt others with our actions or inactions, as well as caused pain and suffering. With each conflict or experience of injustice, we can be comforted in knowing that Jesus understands because he has experienced them all.

Making time to gaze upon the crucifix in times of fear, anxiety, temptation, or indecision, and also when we are in need of forgiveness, can give us the strength and courage to endure or go through what lies before us. Jesus with his arms outstretched represents for us his eternal welcome, that he loves us more than we can ever mess up, that he does not define us by our sins or worst mistakes, and that he loves us more than we can ever imagine.

When we resist running from our trials, our suffering, and our pain, and instead face them, we will find that Jesus is waiting for us with his arms outstretched and wide open, just as he did on the Cross. Jesus meets us in the depths of the whirlwind of our deepest hurts, struggles, and confusion, as well as when and where we need him most. He may not have an answer or we may not be able to hear it in the midst of our suffering, but he is present.

I did not experience Jesus’ death in person. I did experience my wife, JoAnn’s, death, and as she lost more weight, it was like witnessing a crucifixion. I remember one afternoon when the sun shone through the window, I looked up and saw the side of her face which appeared to be only skin and bone. Even though emaciated, she never lost her beauty or her grace. JoAnn radiated love: for me, for our children, and for any who helped to care for her in her final days. JoAnn’s love, the consistent presence of the Holy Spirit that kept me focused on her and her needs instead of myself, and Jesus holding each of us up were seeds of love that were planted within me that have begun to sprout.

This is my fifth Good Friday without JoAnn. This will also be the first time in even more years that I haven’t led the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at my home parish of St. Peter. One thing is guaranteed in our life as human beings and that is change. Nothing remains the same. Change faced with Jesus though gives us meaning and a purpose, not right away always, but when we continue to turn to him there is healing and new beginnings.

This is why we venerate Jesus on the cross today, this is why today is Good Friday, because what appeared to be the end wasn’t. Today we remember the love of the Father who sent his only Son to give his life for each and every one of us. My heart closed the day JoAnn died as may have happened for Jesus’ disciples and Mary whose heart was pierced. That is the pain we all carry into our Holy Saturdays. Yet looking at the crucifix now, we know this represents the act of love that made the Resurrection possible. We are not to deny our grief, suffering, and pain, but through our Good Fridays bring our anguish to the open arms of Jesus on the cross. The cross is the doorway to our healing, redemption, and our salvation. The crucifix is a sign not of loss but of victory for in the words of St. Irenaeus, “Jesus opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed!”

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Photo: Crucifix at entry of Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center, North Palm Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Good Friday, March 29, 2024

Our lives are “measured by love.”

A key focal point of the last supper narrative in the Gospel of John is Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Washing feet was a custom in the ancient Near East because either people walked barefoot or wore sandals. In either event, people’s feet became quite sore and dirty getting from here to there. Washing of the feet was a hospitable way to welcome guests into one’s home, though this action was the most menial of tasks and often performed by the lowest of slaves or servants.

After washing his disciples’ feet and sitting down, Jesus said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet” (Jn 13:13-14). Jesus is sharing with those who will carry on his message and ministry that they are not to feel so high and mighty in their being called to follow him. The Apostles, those who are sent by Jesus, are to look at their ministry as seeking how best to serve others, not seeking to be served themselves.

In many parishes, this evening at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, some members of the parish will have a foot washed by the priest or priests, following the model set by Jesus. This would remind all of us, as members of the Church that we are all an integral part of the Body of Christ and we are at our best when we are willing to serve, support, and lift one another up. This is true when all is well and good in addition to when conflict and challenges arise in the messiness of our daily lives.

Pope Francis, in his homily given on April 5, 2020 highlighted this same point: “Dear brothers and sisters, what can we do in comparison with God, who served us even to the point of being betrayed and abandoned? We can refuse to betray him for whom we were created, and not abandon what really matters in our lives. We were put in this world to love him and our neighbors. Everything else passes away, only this remains. The tragedy we are experiencing summons us to take seriously the things that are serious, and not to be caught up in those that matter less; to rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others. For life is measured by love.”

We best exemplify Jesus’ washing of the feet when we resist the allure and temptation of pride. Our life is not about us. We are not the center of the universe. We need to walk away from the table that offers a buffet of false substitutes for God. Nor are we to curve in upon ourselves and get down on ourselves when we realize our shortcomings and sins because then the focus is still on ourselves.

Let us instead seek to be aware, attentive, discern wisely and even when we fall, be thankful, repent, and begin again. Jesus has not nor will he ever abandon us, and he never tires of loving, forgiving, and serving us. We, as were the apostles, are called to and will be measured by our willingness to wash each other’s feet: to love, to forgive, and to serve one another.

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Photo: Painting of Jesus hanging in the monastery here at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center, North Palm Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Holy Thursday, Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, March 28, 2024

Being still before making a decision and even after can make a big difference.

As Jesus and his companions shared the Passover, Jesus offered this morsel, “One of you will betray me” (Mt 26:21). I am sure that this bitter herb shifted the mood. Each apostle asked if they were the one to betray him. There is no recorded response, though the assumption is that Jesus says no to each, except for one.

A unique feature about this exchange was that each of the disciples in asking Jesus if they would betray him prefaced their request by calling Jesus, Lord. In doing so, they acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah. When Judas addressed Jesus, he called him Rabbi. He did not acknowledge Jesus as his Lord. Could this be a tell regarding why Judas was willing to turn Jesus over because he did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah, that he too believed Jesus to be a blasphemer? Jesus’ response to Judas was an affirmation of truth:“You have said so” (Mt 26:25).

Jesus offered this affirmative response two other times, confirming each time the truth presented to him by Caiaphas that he was the Messiah and then later with Pilate when he asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews. In answering in the affirmative to Judas, was Jesus giving him the opportunity to look at himself in the mirror? Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, he did not have to make this point known. Judas could have remained silent, yet he asked, as did the others who went before him. Could he have been contemplating shifting his prior determination of betrayal? Was Jesus inviting Judas to acknowledge what he had agreed to do, confess, change course, and ask for forgiveness?

Judas chose to betray Jesus, and unfortunately, even with Jesus’ intervention, he was not able or willing to stop what he had started. Often, we set ourselves on a course of action, and even when we get the sense that this is not a good idea, and even when Jesus nudges us to make an adjustment, we do not slow down enough to hear. That is one of the dangers of not making time regularly to be still, to pray for God’s discernment and/or making decisions impulsively. We can often go from our desires and passions, temptations and diversions, without stopping to reflect reasonably upon the consequences.

God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts but too often we are focused on other things and are not able to hear. We can allow fear, anxiety, pride, apparent goods, prejudice, or anger to be our guide. We can be blinded by our determination to do it our own way, regardless of the consequences. Our interpretation of our experience may be that the momentum is already too strong to turn around. That it is too late to change course.

We need to know in the depth of our being, that it is never too late to change course, to make amends, to repent, and to turn back to God. The first step is being willing to be still and stop. Just catching a breath can shift the momentum and then we might be willing to look in the mirror and see what Jesus presents to us, accept what we see, and then seek his forgiveness and his guidance to change course. Sometimes we feel we are digging ourselves into a hole that we can’t escape from. Stop digging and put the shovel down. Jesus will meet us in the deepest of holes and lift us out.

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Photo: Making some quiet time to pray in the chapel at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center, North Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Which path will we follow? Judas’s or Peter’s?

The Gospel reading for today from John is painful on two fronts. First, Jesus said to Judas, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (Jn 13:27). Did their eyes meet at that moment, was there an unspoken appeal from Jesus to Judas, or had that already been settled in Jesus’ full surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane? Judas aligned himself with Satan and set his course, and removed himself from Jesus and his companions and it was night.

The second front appears at the end of today’s reading. Despite Peter’s apparent full endorsement of Jesus and promise to even lay his life down for him, Jesus predicted that “the cock will not crow until” Peter will deny him “three times” (Jn 13:38). The momentum of utter betrayal builds. Judas will agree to turn Jesus over for thirty pieces of silver. He will betray the Son of God, yet in so doing, Judas will play his part in salvation history.

Judas will set in motion Jesus’ arrest that will culminate in his crucifixion. Peter will come to deny Jesus three times as Jesus predicted. I cannot think of any experience worse than the pain of betrayal. And yet, if we read these passages closely, they ought to convict us to the heart. How have we betrayed Jesus? This is an important question to ask, and what is even more important is that we not only answer it honestly but seek forgiveness and resist the temptation of isolating ourselves in our sin and pride when we come to admit where we fall short.

Judas separated himself, cut himself off from Jesus and his companions. He came to realize his sin, though he did not seek forgiveness, but isolated himself further and in his despair took his life. Peter, also regretted his sin, his cowardice, he wept when he heard the cock crow, but he also trusted, and later affirmed his love for Jesus three times, atoning for his three denials and was forgiven.

This Holy Week we can choose to walk the path of Judas or Peter. With each humble step, may we come to see how our spirits are often willing but our bodies are weak, that we have been wounded by others and acted in kind. We have also fallen short of who God has called us to be in what we have done and what we have failed to do.

Awareness of our unworthiness is a good thing. We must resist isolating and beating ourselves up though. The confessional is not a place of condemnation but a place of healing. With each confession, we don’t go back to the beginning and start all over, the grace of each confession builds on the past one, and strengthens us to resist temptations going forward.

Jesus has not come for those who are worthy, he has not come to call the righteous, but he has come to call us sinners to repentance (cf. Luke 5:32), and this is good news! Jesus will receive us when we are humble enough to admit our sins and willing to be forgiven and so healed. In this way, we can learn from Peter. Even if we have betrayed Jesus and each other, Jesus is willing to forgive us too so that we will become wounded healers as well!

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Painting: I have experienced many blessings these past two years, one being walking down this ramp each evening for a Rosary walk! St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass reading for Tuesday, March 26, 2024

We are to give all like Mary, without counting the cost.

“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” (Jn 12:3). This is indeed some gift that Mary shares with Jesus, though Judas’ critical response showed that he missed the point of her offering, which went well beyond the material cost of the perfume. Mary even exceeded the gesture of hospitality by going beyond washing Jesus’ feet and anointing them as well. This act of caring could have been a bestowal of appreciation and gratefulness toward Jesus who brought Lazarus, her brother, back to life, but it was even more than that.

In Jesus’ correction of Judas, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial” (Jn 12:7), he shows us that Mary comprehended better than the Apostles that Jesus’ death was imminent. Mary’s washing the feet of Jesus, anointing them, and drying them with her hair was a gift of love, of giving herself in service to the Son of God. This exchange mirrors the communion between God the Father, God the Son, and the love shared between them, God the Holy Spirit. Mary follows the will of the Father and plays her part in salvation history.

We do not know how Mary came to possess this precious oil, but what we do know is much more important. She did not grasp or cling to the oil, she did not count the cost and just pour out a little bit. When she felt moved to pour the costly nard and anoint the feet of Jesus, she freely poured all the perfume out in an act of love to serve the need of Jesus by anointing him for his death and burial.

What is something that we may hold as precious that God may be calling us to give up, not just for the sake of doing so, but in service to Jesus? The path to holiness is coming to a place in our lives in which we can surrender all to Jesus, so to clearly hear the will of God, know what is required of us, and give freely in love and service without counting the cost, without holding anything back, to be as St. Mother Teresa has said, just a pencil in God’s hand.

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Picture: The gift God continues to give, the beauty of his creation! SVDP Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass reading for Monday, March 25, 2024