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.
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.
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
Psalm71:1-2, 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.
“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.”
“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.”
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
earth."
Meditation: 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, March 31, JOHN 8:21-30
Lenten Weekday
(Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 102)
Lenten Weekday
(Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 102)
KEY VERSE: "When you lift up the Son of Man, you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own" (v.28).
TO KNOW: Jesus uttered a warning against those who persisted in their unbelief, refusing to accept him as God's Anointed One – The Christ. Only those who believed in him could go with him to the Father; those who opposed him would die in their sins. The unbelievers sarcastically asked Jesus if he intended to kill himself. The irony was that Jesus would freely lay down his life. He compared being "lifted up" on the cross to the bronze serpent that Moses elevated in the desert to heal those who had been bitten by poisonous snakes (Nm 21:4-9). The cross is a paradoxical symbol of life and death, sin and grace, suffering and healing. Jesus used the powerful “I AM” (egō eimi), the divine name, stating that he and the Father were one.
TO LOVE: Gaze upon a crucifix and contemplate its meaning for your life.
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, by the power of your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Tuesday 7 April 2020
Isaiah 49:1-6. I will sing of your
salvation – Psalm 70(71):1-6, 15, 17. John 13:21-33, 36-38.
I will make you the light of the nations so
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth
Occurring in Holy
Week, the first reading from Isaiah draws a strong contrast between the
individual, called, named and governed by God, and the individual whom God
created in order to bring glory to God. As the Triduum’s liturgy will soon
evince, the Suffering Servant is raised up in order to bring salvation. This
reading offers a glimpse of what is to come: ‘I will make you a light to the
nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’ The
prophet’s witness – ‘I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord’ – is both
foretaste and promise of what each one created by God can anticipate. Finally,
the reading casts God in the role of the parent who names the child; ‘from my mother’s
womb he gave me my name.’ As every parent knows, to name a child is an awesome
task, as a name (particularly in the Hebrew scriptures) is both an invocation
of the past and a vote of confidence in the future.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle
Saint of the Day for April 7
(April 30, 1651 – April 7, 1719)
 |
| Statue of St. John Baptist de La Salle | Saint Peter Basilica, Rome | photo by Jordiferrer |
Saint John Baptist de La Salle’s Story
Complete dedication to what he saw as God’s will for him
dominated the life of John Baptist de La Salle. In 1950, Pope Pius XII named
him patron of schoolteachers for his efforts in upgrading school instruction.
As a young 17th-century Frenchman, John had everything going for him: scholarly
bent, good looks, noble family background, money, refined upbringing. At the
early age of 11, he received the tonsure and started preparation for the
priesthood, to which he was ordained at 27. He seemed assured then of a life of
dignified ease and a high position in the Church.
But God had other plans for John, which were gradually revealed
to him in the next several years. During a chance meeting with Monsieur Adrien
Nyel, he became interested in the creation of schools for poor boys in Rheims,
where he was stationed. Though the work was extremely distasteful to him at
first, he became more involved in working with the deprived youths.
Once convinced that this was his divinely appointed mission,
John threw himself wholeheartedly into the work, left home and family,
abandoned his position as canon at Rheims, gave away his fortune, and reduced
himself to the level of the poor to whom he devoted his entire life.
The remainder of his life was closely entwined with the
community of religious men he founded, the Brothers of the Christian School
(also called Christian Brothers or De La Salle Brothers). This community grew
rapidly and was successful in educating boys of poor families, using methods
designed by John. It prepared teachers in the first training college for
teachers and also set up homes and schools for young delinquents of wealthy
families. The motivating element in all these endeavors was the desire to become
a good Christian.
Yet even in his success, John did not escape experiencing many
trials: heart-rending disappointment and defections among his
disciples, bitter opposition from the secular schoolmasters who resented
his new and fruitful methods, and persistent opposition from the Jansenists of
his time, whose moral rigidity and pessimism about the human condition John
resisted vehemently all his life.
Afflicted with asthma and rheumatism in his last years, he died
at age 68 on Good Friday, and was canonized in 1900.
Reflection
Complete dedication to one’s calling by God, whatever it may be,
is a rare quality. Jesus asks us to “love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, with all your
mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30b, emphasis
added). Paul gives similar advice: “Whatever you do, do from the heart…”
(Colossians 3:23).
Saint John Baptist de La Salle is the Patron Saint of:
Teachers
Lectio Divina: John 13:21-33, 36-38
Lectio Divina
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
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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