Tuesday of Holy Week
Lectionary: 258
Lectionary: 258
Hear me, O islands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother's womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother's womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 71:1-2, 3-4A, 5AB-6AB,
15 AND 17
R. (see 15ab) I
will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Verse Before
The Gospel
Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.
GospelJN 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."
"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."
Meditation:
Betrayal and faltering loyalty to Jesus
Jesus'
disciples were put to the test as Jesus prepared to make the final and ultimate
sacrifice of his own life for their sake and for all the world. What was
different between Peter and Judas? Judas deliberately betrayed his Master while
Peter, in a moment of weakness, denied him with an oath and a curse. Judas' act
was cold and calculated. Peter, however, never meant to do what he did. He
acted impulsively, out of weakness and cowardice. Jesus knew both the strength
of Peter's loyalty and the weakness of his resolution. He had a habit of
speaking with his heart without thinking through the implications of what he
was saying.
Disordered
love leads to hurtful desires and wrong deeds
The treachery of Judas, however, is seen at its worst when Jesus makes his appeal by showing special affection to him at his last supper. John says that Satan entered into Judas when he rejected Jesus and left to pursue his evil course. Satan can twist love and turn it into hate. He can turn holiness into pride, discipline into cruelty, affection into complacency. We must be on our guard lest Satan turn us from the love of God and the path which God has chosen for us.
The treachery of Judas, however, is seen at its worst when Jesus makes his appeal by showing special affection to him at his last supper. John says that Satan entered into Judas when he rejected Jesus and left to pursue his evil course. Satan can twist love and turn it into hate. He can turn holiness into pride, discipline into cruelty, affection into complacency. We must be on our guard lest Satan turn us from the love of God and the path which God has chosen for us.
God
never withholds his persevering grace and strength to those who cling to him
The Holy Spirit will give us grace and strength in our time of testing. If we submit to Jesus we will walk in the light of his truth and love. If we turn our backs on him we will stumble and fall in the ways of sin and darkness. Are you ready to follow Jesus in his way of the cross?
The Holy Spirit will give us grace and strength in our time of testing. If we submit to Jesus we will walk in the light of his truth and love. If we turn our backs on him we will stumble and fall in the ways of sin and darkness. Are you ready to follow Jesus in his way of the cross?
"Give
me, O Lord, a steadfast heart which no unworthy thought can drag downwards; an
unconquered heart which no tribulation can wear out; an upright heart which no
unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon me also, O Lord my God,
understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a
faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ, our
Lord." (Prayer of Thomas Aquinas)
A
Daily Quote for Lent: Fight
sin and put up with trials, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Your
first task is to be dissatisfied with yourself, fight sin, and transform
yourself into something better. Your second task is to put up with the trials
and temptations of this world that will be brought on by the change in your
life and to persevere to the very end in the midst of these things." (excerpt
from Commentary on Psalm 59,5)
TUESDAY OF
HOLY WEEK
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, JOHN 13:21-33, 36-38
(Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 71)
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, JOHN 13:21-33, 36-38
(Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 71)
KEY VERSE: "Amen, Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me" (v.21).
TO KNOW: During the Passover meal, the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples, he made a solemn declaration that one of his own disciples would betray him. Reclining at table (the Greek style of dining of the day), John leaned his head on Jesus' chest in anguish. Just as Jesus reposed in the heart of the Father, the disciple abided in the bosom of the Lord. Although Judas was preparing to betray him, as a last gesture of love Jesus handed him a morsel of bitter herbs dipped in salt water (a symbol of the tears shed by the slaves in Egypt). Judas took the offering and quickly departed. To illustrate Judas' dark deed, John wrote poignantly, "and it was night" (v.30). Jesus warned Peter that he would also betray him by denying that he knew him. Peter protested that he would lay down his life for his Master, but Jesus knew that Peter would fail him. It was left to Jesus to make this final journey alone.
TO LOVE: Am I able to reconcile with someone whom I have hurt or who has injured me?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, forgive me for the many ways I betray your love.
Tuesday 16 April 2019
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
Isaiah 49:1-6. Psalm 70(71):1-6, 15, 17. John 13:21-33, 36-38.
I will sing of your salvation – Psalm 70(71):1-6, 15, 17.
‘I will make you a light to the nations.’
We all know the story of Peter’s betrayal. His heart was in the
right place but he floundered when the test came. Even so, what a wonderful
example for us to follow. Peter is someone we can all relate to: he had his
weaknesses but he overcame them and moved on to be a great leader.
He certainly became a light to the nations. Our call is no less
than Peter’s – we are given the mandate of spreading God’s saving power to the
ends of the earth. We can start in our own families, neighbourhoods and
workplaces, and let it flow forth in abundance into the lands beyond.
Let today be a new beginning for us. If we all dispose ourselves
to receive the Spirit today, who knows the difference we will make! May God
provide us with his light that we may carry it to all we meet
Saint Bernadette Soubirous
Saint of the Day for April 16
(January 7, 1844 – April 16, 1879)
 |
| aint Bernadette Soubirous en 1861 ou 1862 | photo by abbé P. Bernadou |
Saint Bernadette Soubirous’ Story
Bernadette Soubirous was born in 1844, the first child of an
extremely poor miller in the town of Lourdes in southern France. The family was
living in the basement of a dilapidated building when on February 11, 1858, the
Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette in a cave above the banks of the
Gave River near Lourdes. Bernadette, 14 years old, was known as a virtuous girl
though a dull student who had not even made her first Holy Communion. In poor
health, she had suffered from asthma from an early age.
There were 18 appearances in all, the final one occurring on the
feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, July 16. Although Bernadette’s initial reports
provoked skepticism, her daily visions of “the Lady” brought great crowds of
the curious. The Lady, Bernadette explained, had instructed her to have a
chapel built on the spot of the visions. There, the people were to come to wash
in and drink of the water of the spring that had welled up from the very spot
where Bernadette had been instructed to dig.
According to Bernadette, the Lady of her visions was a girl of
16 or 17 who wore a white robe with a blue sash. Yellow roses covered her feet,
a large rosary was on her right arm. In the vision on March 25 she told
Bernadette, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” It was only when the words were
explained to her that Bernadette came to realize who the Lady was.
Few visions have ever undergone the scrutiny that these
appearances of the Immaculate Virgin were subject to. Lourdes became one of the
most popular Marian shrines in the world, attracting millions of visitors.
Miracles were reported at the shrine and in the waters of the spring. After
thorough investigation, Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the
apparitions in 1862.
During her life, Bernadette suffered much. She was hounded by
the public as well as by civic officials until at last she was protected in a
convent of nuns. Five years later, she petitioned to enter the Sisters of Notre
Dame of Nevers. After a period of illness she was able to make the journey from
Lourdes and enter the novitiate. But within four months of her arrival she was
given the last rites of the Church and allowed to profess her vows. She
recovered enough to become infirmarian and then sacristan, but chronic health
problems persisted. She died on April 16, 1879, at the age of 35.
Bernadette Soubirous was canonized in 1933.
Reflection
Millions of people have come to the spring Bernadette uncovered
for healing of body and spirit, but she found no relief from ill health there.
Bernadette moved through life, guided only by blind faith in things she did not
understand—as we all must do from time to time.
Lectio Divina: John 13:21-33, 36-38
Lectio Divina
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Season of Lent
1) Opening prayer
Lord our God,
Your Son Jesus Christ
had to undergo the humiliation
of being betrayed and denied
by those He called His friends. But He made His suffering and death
into instruments of love and reconciliation.
Make us with Him, people-for-others,
who accept difficulties, even betrayals
and misunderstanding of our best intentions,
and turn them into sources of life and joy
for those around us.
Keep us faithful to You and to one another
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Your Son Jesus Christ
had to undergo the humiliation
of being betrayed and denied
by those He called His friends. But He made His suffering and death
into instruments of love and reconciliation.
Make us with Him, people-for-others,
who accept difficulties, even betrayals
and misunderstanding of our best intentions,
and turn them into sources of life and joy
for those around us.
Keep us faithful to You and to one another
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - 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."
3) Reflection
• This is the third day of Holy Week. The texts of the Gospel of
these days place before us the terrible facts which will lead to the
imprisonment and condemnation of Jesus. The texts not only present the
decisions of the religious and civil authority against Jesus, but also the
betrayal and the negotiations of the disciples which rendered it possible for
the authority to arrest Jesus and contributed enormously to the suffering of
Jesus.
• John 13:21: The announcement of the betrayal. After having washed the feet of the disciples (Jn 13:2-11) and having spoken about the obligation that we have of washing each other’s feet (Jn 13:12-16), Jesus is profoundly touched. And it is no wonder. He was fulfilling that gesture of service and total gift of self, while at His side one of the disciples was planning how to betray Him that same night. Jesus expresses His emotion saying: “In all truth I tell you one of you is going to betray Me!” He does not say: “Judas will betray Me”, but “one of you”. It is one of His group who will betray Him.
• John 13:22-25: The reaction of the disciples. The disciples are frightened. They did not expect that declaration, that is, that one of them would be the traitor. Peter makes a sign to John to ask Jesus which of the twelve would be the traitor. This is a sign that they did not know one another well, they could not succeed in understanding who could be the traitor. A sign, that is, that the friendship among them had not as yet reached the same transparency that Jesus had with them (cf. Jn 15:15). John reclined near Jesus and asked Him: “Who is it?”
• John 13:26-30: Jesus indicates Judas. Jesus says: “It is the one to whom I give the piece of bread that I dip in the dish.” He took a piece of bread, dips it in the cup and hands it over to Judas. This was a common and normal gesture which the participants at a supper used to do among themselves. And Jesus tells Judas: “What you are going to do, do quickly!” Judas had charge of the common fund. He was in charge of buying things and of giving the alms to the poor. This is why no one perceived anything special in the gesture and in the words of Jesus. In this description of the announcement of the betrayal is evoked the Psalm in which the psalmist complains about the friend who betrays Him: “Even My trusted friend on whom I relied, who shared My table takes advantage of Me” (Ps 41:10; cf. Ps 55:13-15). Judas becomes aware that Jesus knew everything (cf. Jn 13:18). But even knowing it, he does not change his mind but keeps the decision to betray Jesus. This is the moment in which the separation between Judas and Jesus takes place. John says at this moment Satan entered him. Judas rises and leaves. He places himself at the side of the enemy (Satan). John comments: “”It was night”. It was dark.
• John 13:31-33: The glorification of Jesus begins. It is as if history had waited for this moment of separation between light and darkness. Satan (the enemy) and darkness entered into Judas when he decides to carry out what he was planning. In that moment the light was made in Jesus who declares: “Now the son of man has been glorified, and in Him God has been glorified also. 32 If God has been glorified in Him, God will in turn glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him very soon!” The decisions had already been taken by Jesus (Jn 12:27-28) and now by Judas. The facts follow one another hastily. And, Jesus announces it: “Little children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for Me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going you cannot come”. There is little time left before the Passover.
• John 13:34-35: The new commandment. Today’s Gospel omits these two verses on the new commandment of love, and begins to speak about the announcement of the denial of Peter.
• John 13:36-38: Announcement of the denial of Peter. Together with the betrayal of Judas, the Gospel also speaks of the denial of Peter. These are the two facts which contribute the most to Jesus’ suffering and pain. Peter says that he is ready to give his life for Jesus. Jesus recalls and reminds him of reality: “You are ready to lay down your life for Me? In all truth I tell you, before the cock crows you will have disowned Me three times”. Mark had written: “Before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned Me three times” (Mk 14:30). Everybody knows that the cock crows rapidly. When in the morning the first cock begins to sing, almost at the same time all the cocks crow together. Peter is more rapid in his denial than the cock in crowing.
• John 13:21: The announcement of the betrayal. After having washed the feet of the disciples (Jn 13:2-11) and having spoken about the obligation that we have of washing each other’s feet (Jn 13:12-16), Jesus is profoundly touched. And it is no wonder. He was fulfilling that gesture of service and total gift of self, while at His side one of the disciples was planning how to betray Him that same night. Jesus expresses His emotion saying: “In all truth I tell you one of you is going to betray Me!” He does not say: “Judas will betray Me”, but “one of you”. It is one of His group who will betray Him.
• John 13:22-25: The reaction of the disciples. The disciples are frightened. They did not expect that declaration, that is, that one of them would be the traitor. Peter makes a sign to John to ask Jesus which of the twelve would be the traitor. This is a sign that they did not know one another well, they could not succeed in understanding who could be the traitor. A sign, that is, that the friendship among them had not as yet reached the same transparency that Jesus had with them (cf. Jn 15:15). John reclined near Jesus and asked Him: “Who is it?”
• John 13:26-30: Jesus indicates Judas. Jesus says: “It is the one to whom I give the piece of bread that I dip in the dish.” He took a piece of bread, dips it in the cup and hands it over to Judas. This was a common and normal gesture which the participants at a supper used to do among themselves. And Jesus tells Judas: “What you are going to do, do quickly!” Judas had charge of the common fund. He was in charge of buying things and of giving the alms to the poor. This is why no one perceived anything special in the gesture and in the words of Jesus. In this description of the announcement of the betrayal is evoked the Psalm in which the psalmist complains about the friend who betrays Him: “Even My trusted friend on whom I relied, who shared My table takes advantage of Me” (Ps 41:10; cf. Ps 55:13-15). Judas becomes aware that Jesus knew everything (cf. Jn 13:18). But even knowing it, he does not change his mind but keeps the decision to betray Jesus. This is the moment in which the separation between Judas and Jesus takes place. John says at this moment Satan entered him. Judas rises and leaves. He places himself at the side of the enemy (Satan). John comments: “”It was night”. It was dark.
• John 13:31-33: The glorification of Jesus begins. It is as if history had waited for this moment of separation between light and darkness. Satan (the enemy) and darkness entered into Judas when he decides to carry out what he was planning. In that moment the light was made in Jesus who declares: “Now the son of man has been glorified, and in Him God has been glorified also. 32 If God has been glorified in Him, God will in turn glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him very soon!” The decisions had already been taken by Jesus (Jn 12:27-28) and now by Judas. The facts follow one another hastily. And, Jesus announces it: “Little children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for Me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going you cannot come”. There is little time left before the Passover.
• John 13:34-35: The new commandment. Today’s Gospel omits these two verses on the new commandment of love, and begins to speak about the announcement of the denial of Peter.
• John 13:36-38: Announcement of the denial of Peter. Together with the betrayal of Judas, the Gospel also speaks of the denial of Peter. These are the two facts which contribute the most to Jesus’ suffering and pain. Peter says that he is ready to give his life for Jesus. Jesus recalls and reminds him of reality: “You are ready to lay down your life for Me? In all truth I tell you, before the cock crows you will have disowned Me three times”. Mark had written: “Before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned Me three times” (Mk 14:30). Everybody knows that the cock crows rapidly. When in the morning the first cock begins to sing, almost at the same time all the cocks crow together. Peter is more rapid in his denial than the cock in crowing.
4) Personal questions
• Do I love so much as to protect someone who betrays me too?
• Satan prowls like a lion looking to devour souls. It happened to Judas. What do I do to prevent Satan from entering me?
• Satan prowls like a lion looking to devour souls. It happened to Judas. What do I do to prevent Satan from entering me?
5) Concluding Prayer
You are my hope, Lord,
my trust, Yahweh, since boyhood.
On You I have relied since my birth,
since my mother's womb You have been my portion,
the constant theme of my praise. (Ps 71:5-6)
my trust, Yahweh, since boyhood.
On You I have relied since my birth,
since my mother's womb You have been my portion,
the constant theme of my praise. (Ps 71:5-6)
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