Tag: Lent

“I thirst.” | Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

From the responsorial psalm: “But my trust is in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God. In your hands is my destiny; rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.’ Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

The full passion narrative can be found on The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041825.cfm

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 18:1—19:42).

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Jesus takes on himself the passion that begins with his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and ends in his crucifixion. After Judas betrays Jesus in the garden and after being brought before Annas and then Caiaphas, Jesus endures from them false accusations as well as Peter’s denial. At first Pilate finds no fault in Jesus, but he condemns him as the pressure of the crowd mounts as they cry out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Mocked, beaten, and led to Golgotha, Jesus is crucified alongside two criminals. As he completes his Father’s mission, he says from the cross, “It is finished.” After his death, soldiers pierce his side and, John tells us, “immediately blood and water flowed out,” which is the means of entering into new life through Baptism (water) and spiritual nourishment (the blood of Christ). By the mystery of his suffering and crucifixion, Jesus, the Lamb of God, becomes the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

God, quiet my mind and soul today so that I open more fully to the mystery of salvation that unfolds even now through the crucifixion. Throughout the day, whether I am engaged in work or activities, help me call to mind that what took place two thousand years ago is not just a past event but the ever-present saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ crucified. In his passion and death, you laid upon your Son the guilt of us all, each of us you call by name. Because of this, you greatly exalt him and bestow on him the name which is above every other name. Lamb of God, have mercy on us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Holy Thursday -Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

From the responsorial psalm: “To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 13:1-15, today’s readings)

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”

During the Last Supper, Jesus puts all of his trust in the Father, fully aware, as John tells us, “that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” When Jesus approaches Peter to wash his feet, Peter misunderstands the significance of the act. Jesus responds by indicating that unless he washes Peter, he has no share with him. Jesus demonstrates the importance of humility and service to others in the kingdom of God. He says to the disciples, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

God, the Father of Mercies, help me receive your mercy even as I do not fully understand its profound meaning in sanctifying me. When Jesus approaches Peter, he first refuses to allow Jesus to wash his feet. Open me to receive your mercy, Lord, in humility and gratitude. “How shall I make a return to the LORD,” the psalmist prays, “for all the good he has done for me?”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Surely it is not I, Lord?” | Wednesday of Holy Week

From the responsorial psalm: “I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving: ‘See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.’ Lord, in your great love, answer me.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 26:14-25, today’s readings)

When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?”

Matthew tells the story of Judas’s betrayal of Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus makes known that one of them will betray him. Having received payment from the chief priests, Judas’s response to Jesus seems odd: “Surely, it is not I, Rabbi.” Although he acknowledges Christ as his teacher, calling him Rabbi but not Lord, Judas at once denies his betrayal. Jesus holds a mirror up to Judas when he says, “You have said so.” In the same way, our inclination toward sin might cause us to deny willful participation in it even as we act on it. That’s the deep dysfunction that Jesus came to save us from, restoring us to God through his death and resurrection. In the verse before the Gospel, we hear his merciful response to sins that are ours, a cause to glorify him: “Hail to you, our King; you alone are compassionate with our errors.”

God, the betrayal of Judas is not an isolated event in the Gospel from long ago but relates to every person who struggles with sin and chooses that instead of choosing you. As he betrays Jesus, Judas not only pretends to be innocent but also deludes himself by thinking that he is not responsible for his choice to hand Jesus over. In choosing to do wrong with your gift of free will, Lord, how easy it is to betray you through sin, to reject you and deny responsibility. Give me the grace to stay with you at the table, even to be deeply distressed at the thought of betraying you, as the other disciples were. Keep me in your presence, Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Will you lay down your life for me?” | Tuesday of Holy Week

From the responsorial psalm: “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. I will sing of your salvation.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 13:21-33, 36-38, today’s readings)

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.”

John describes a moment during the Last Supper when Judas betrays Jesus. The disciples are unaware of the betrayal and misunderstand Jesus when he says to Judas, who has the money bag in hand, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Acknowledging the significance of the betrayal and his commitment to the Father’s will, Jesus says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.” After this, Jesus foretells Peter’s moment of weakness and denial and shares with the disciples the challenges that await them. Isaiah’s prophecy foretells Jesus’ mission of obedience to the Father’s will when he says: “For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb.”

Father in heaven, you remain with Jesus at every moment of the Last Supper, even as he is betrayed by Judas and predicts the denial of Peter. What you say through Isaiah comes to fulfillment as Jesus chooses to enter into his passion and death, finding you as his sole source of strength: “And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength!” Jesus experienced betrayal and denial as part of the fulfillment of your will. Following Jesus’ supreme example, give me the grace to know that you alone are the Lord and the source of my strength even in the midst of disappointment and sorrow. As the psalmist prays: “On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength.” Strengthen me, Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Monday of Holy Week

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid. The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 12:1-11, today’s readings)

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

Jesus has just raised Lazarus from the dead. Because of this, more and more people come to believe in him as they come to see him and to hear the story. When Jesus is invited to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, Mary uses a liter of expensive oil to anoint the feet of Jesus. Like incense, the odor of the oil fills the entire house. Judas comments that the the oil should have been sold to go to the poor. But since he has been stealing contributions, he says this only to keep up appearances, to uphold a façade. Jesus tells Judas to leave her alone so the oil can be used for the day of his burial. But also, Jesus wants her devotion to him to be hers to keep for his death and burial. The crowd that comes to see Jesus and Lazarus intend to kill them both because of the number of people who are coming to believe in Jesus. As Jesus remarks on the poor, he points us to the continuing presence of poverty while also calling attention to the unique and critical moment of his ministry.

God, through Isaiah, I hear you speak of Jesus when you say, “I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations.” The Church today is the continuation of your covenant with your people, carried out to continue the work of Christ. Let me dwell in the scene that John describes in the Gospel. Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead, sits with Mary and Martha in the presence of Jesus to dine with him. Can I see this as an invitation for myself to be with him and to realize that just as you have grasped Jesus by the hand, calling him for the victory of justice, you do the same to me as his follower? Give me the grace to hear and understand your will and what it is you call me to.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Their voices prevailed.” | Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

From the verse before the Gospel: “Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 22:14—23:56, today’s readings)

Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus, but they continued their shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate addressed them a third time, “What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.” With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed.

In the final prayer over the people at the Palm Sunday Mass, the priest prays: “Look, we pray, O Lord, on this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ did not hesitate to be delivered into the hands of the wicked and submit to the agony of the Cross. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.” The Gospel begins as Jesus prepares for the Passover, the Last Supper, in which he institutes the Eucharist, the foretaste of eternal life he calls us to as adopted sons and daughters: “I shall not eat it again until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” In his passion and death, he freely chooses to do the will of the Father and not his own, and he recognizes in the betrayal of Judas that it is “the time,” in his own words, “for the power of darkness.” Understand that as much as he spoke to those who crucified him, he does as much to reconcile us to God as he continually intercedes for us, praying “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

God, I am overwhelmed by the readings for Palm Sunday and the Lord’s Passion. In reflecting on them, I want to take to heart the core meaning that brings them all together. Let me sit with them today, drawing from them what you see that I most need. The coming darkness that Jesus speaks of as Judas betrays him comes to its culmination as darkness covers the whole land after Jesus is crucified. How many times will I repeat, “Father, forgive them” without understanding the depth of your gift of mercy that makes that forgiveness possible? Give me the grace to put all power of forgiveness into the hands of your Son. Let my prayer be his: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Jesus, teach me to pray.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

They began to believe in him. | Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Then the virgins shall make merry and dance, and young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows. The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 11:45-56, today’s readings)

Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Among the people who see firsthand the raising of Lazarus from the dead or hear of it, some begin to believe in Jesus, while others are concerned and tell the Pharisees. The division that results from the works Jesus performs is not accidental. The Sanhedrin convene to determine the best way to preserve their land and nation, and Caiaphas argues that the best way to accomplish this is to kill Jesus. All agree. The irony in this decision is that their intention was “to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” But God brought a scattered people to him in a new and different way. As the plot to kill Jesus unfolds, he suffers his passion and death. Ultimately, through his resurrection, Jesus brings to fulfillment the will of the Father in gathering all of the dispersed children—Jew and Gentile alike—into one true Church, the Body of Christ, in an everlasting covenant. “My dwelling shall be with them,” the LORD says. “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

God, help me understand your plan for me. Just as your plan for all humanity was fulfilled through the obedience of Jesus, teach me to understand and accomplish what you have planned for me. Give me the grace to widen my view of your plan. The Jews who sought to kill Jesus believed that their plan would preserve them as a people and as a nation. But through his resurrection, Jesus brought to every nation what Ezekiel prophesied in your words: “Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD.” As I use every good gift you have given me to choose freely the best step forward, let me remember that what I ought to pray for and hope for always is that your will be done. Jesus, be my guard and guide!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Believe the works.” | Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 10:31-42, today’s readings)

“If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.

Some of the Jews who accuse Jesus of blasphemy are trying to stone him. They say Jesus is making himself God. Drawing on scripture, Jesus tells them, “If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?” We hear that they try to arrest Jesus but that he escapes from their power. The power Jesus escapes from he is able to accomplish because of his perfect obedience to the Father’s will; it wasn’t yet his time. Because of his miracles, because of the truth about Jesus revealed through John the Baptist, and because he is the Word of God, many people come to believe in Jesus.

God, let me rest today in the truth of Jesus, that no matter how distortions of truth are made to seem real, no matter the machinations of the evil one, Jesus remains the way and the truth and the life. The verse before the Gospel says, “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.” Thank you, Lord, for sending your Son to bring light and life to earthly existence and eternal life to those who put their hope in him. Jesus has shown, as he says, “many good works from my Father.” Give me the grace to rest in him, my rock of refuge and deliverer, for all he has done. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Before Abraham came to be, I AM.” | Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 8:51-59, today’s readings)

So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

In the first reading from Genesis, God says to Abraham: “I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” Jesus speaks to some of the descendants of Abraham as he tells them as the Son of God: “whoever keeps my word will never see death.” They reject him and fail to recognize who stands before them, even as he says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” In his words and through the sacraments he instituted, Jesus is more fully present to us today than during his earthly ministry.

God, help me understand the perspective of the Jews who rejected Jesus so that I can avoid their literal interpretation of reality. They could not understand Jesus when he said, “Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” How was it, they wondered, that Jesus could have witnessed Abraham. Widen my comprehension of the reach of your mercy, Lord, which spans across generations to speak through Christ then and today. “I will be their God,” you said to Abraham. Yet, before Abraham came to be, Jesus says, “I AM.” Jesus knows you and keeps your word, a witness to your truth. Give me the grace to know the great I AM that is present in me every time I receive the Eucharist. The LORD remembers his covenant forever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” | Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “”Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.” Glory and praise for ever!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 8:31-42, today’s readings)

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.”

By saying this and testifying even more strongly, Jesus makes clear that he comes from the Father and was sent by him. “I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.” Despite this, they fail to recognize that Jesus comes to offer them freedom from slavery to sin by remaining in the truth of his word. “We have,” they say, “never been enslaved.” As Jesus offers to free them from sin, he invites them into his Father’s presence as adopted sons and daughters. “A son always remains free.” Still, they call Abraham their father and reject what Jesus teaches them as one who hears the truth of the Father and was sent by him. Consider this: Jesus did not come to coerce and crush opponents but to offer himself freely in sacrifice to destroy death and rise to new life so that we might come into his Father’s household—free forever.

God, help me recognize your gift of freedom we have in choosing Jesus to set us free in his truth. Remaining in his word—the Word that is you and what was from the beginning—I can choose not to roam as a slave of sin but instead find myself as a son in your household today and for endless length of days. In Jesus, your Son, let me place all of my hope and trust. He tells us as a man who has told us the truth of what he heard from you and at the same time as one who “came from God and [is] here.” Give me the grace, Lord, to persevere in choosing to remain in the Word. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.