In
the Gospel today we are told that Jesus is deeply troubled and as we read on
and picture the scene we quickly understand why. The scene today in the Last
Supper and Jesus is aware of the events ahead of him. He knows that Judas will
betray him and in the midst of the supper Jesus sends him on his way. We all
know what it feels like to lose a friend. We invest time, effort, our emotions
and feelings only to have the person move on, decide that we are not worth the
time, effort and trouble. Jesus has given three years to Judas and Judas needs
to move on.
Jesus
has given three years to all of his disciples yet he knows they will all run
away before the night is over. One of his closest friends, Peter, will deny
that he knows Jesus even though we listen to his bold statement of loyalty in the
Gospel. Yes, it is a troubling time for Jesus.
However,
unlike the troublemaker Judas, Jesus does not run away. He identifies the
problem, the struggle, the difficulty. Jesus realizes that humankind has
“fallen from love.” That is our original sin; we have fallen from God’s love.
Jesus the troubleshooter is going to restore the gift of that love by his
journey to the cross the empty tomb. Jesus set us free to embrace the mystery
of God’s love. It is up to us to turn away from sin but through the action of
Jesus, the troubleshooter, we are given the chance to once again “fall in love
with God!”
As
we journey through this day may we remember what Jesus has done for us. May
will look at the cross and “fall in love once again!”
Daily
Holy Week Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we thank you for your great love. We are sorry for having troubled
you by not embracing, by rejecting, by denying, by betraying your love. Help us
to be people of hope. Help us to be people of faith. Help us to be people who
fall in love with you again! You know the weakness of our human hearts. Grace
us with hearts alive with your love. Gift us with faith filled spirits that
will help us to make good choices as we journey through this life to the
mystery of your everlasting love! Amen!
Runner’s
Thought: Let
us run today with a spirit of gratefulness. Before we begin our run let us
declare our intentions to look upon all we encounter with the freshness of the
unexpected. The let us run with a sense of miraculous expectation and allow our
feelings of gratitude for the extraordinary and the ordinary to flow through
our beings. (Adapted from Running the Spiritual Path by Roger Joslin)
Happy
Holy Tuesday everyone! I hope your day is starting well. A least in this neck
of the woods the sun is out and today looks to be a nice day weather wise. The
say the temps will get better as the week goes along. I am really hoping for
some warmer weather, how about you?
Our
mission here at St. Gabriel’s started very nicely yesterday. Even with the
nasty weather we had a nice crowd both in the morning and evening. I am looking
forward to the beginning of the second day in just a little over an hour. Your
prayers for the community of faith here and their preacher would be greatly
appreciated!
Have
a great day everyone. May you day be filled with many blessings. If you are
encountering a bad day take a moment to remember that you are in my prayers and
that God does love you. Perhaps that pause will help to turn the tide from a
bad day to a good one. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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