Monday of Holy Week

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

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.

Before Passover and after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus goes to the house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus for a dinner they invited him to. John tells us that Mary takes a liter of costly perfumed oil and anoints the feet of Jesus and dries them with her hair. At this, Judas Iscariot complains, saying that the oil should have been sold to give to the poor. He says this not because he cared about the poor but because he held the money bag and would steal from it. Jesus says to Judas: “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Seeing large crowds of Jews go to see Jesus there, the chief priests plot to kill Jesus and Lazarus. Because of Lazarus, many people were coming to believe in Jesus. In Jesus’ rebuke of Judas, there is tenderness toward Mary’s anointing. During Holy Week, what little extravagance of love can I offer the Lord?

God, you are outside of time; yet, your Son recognizes his time on earth was coming to an end. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, just as he would soon be at the feet of the Twelve, the servant of servants washing them clean of sin. Help me understand the paths of those who came to believe in you, whether through their heart or head. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Mary said to him: “I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Others came to believe in you through the works your Son performed while on earth, witnesses to his many miraculous healings. In the first reading from Isaiah, you say: “I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand.” There is only so much time to come to believe in you, Lord, and remain firm in belief; take initiative, take me by the hand.

God, grant me the grace today to use the things of this world for your glory. Creator of heaven and earth, you are a light for the nations. Open my eyes today to see the light and do what is pleasing to 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.

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ You do not know him, but I know him.”

As Jesus reveals that he is the great I AM, some of the Jews he is speaking with challenge him when he says, “I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” The people ask Jesus if he is greater than Abraham or the prophets, who died, and Jesus answers that he is one with his Father and that the Father glorifies him. “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” the people ask Jesus. He tells them: “I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” They then pick up stones to throw at Jesus, but he hides and goes out of the temple area. Why Jesus hides here is not out of fear; by doing his Father’s will, the Father glorifies Jesus. The time of his passion had not yet come.

God, help me see what it means to know you as your son knows you. If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing. But if I know and do your will, my every word and action will glorify you. Just as the Father glorified Jesus, I give you glory, Lord, when I make my works, joys, and sufferings of the day a means to give you glory. In your son’s promise of eternal life, I see what those of Jesus’ time could not see: the resurrection that follows his passion and death. “I say to you,” Jesus says, “whoever keeps my word will never see death.” I believe in the resurrection. Glory to you, Lord; help my unbelief.

You are ever present, Lord, and transcend time. As you once promised Abraham, you promise to me: “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.” Help me today, Lord, remember you are here in the present moment.

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.

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”

In today’s Gospel, some of the Jews who believe in Jesus struggle to recognize the truth of his divinity. Jesus, truth incarnate in the person of Christ, says to them: “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.” But they believe that as descendants of Abraham, they have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it, then, that Jesus tells them that the truth will set them free? As the Son of God, Jesus freely chooses to do the will of the Father through his passion, death, and resurrection, and in that he invites us into the freedom of discipleship. Jesus tells them: “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.” Like the people Jesus addresses in today’s Gospel, are there precedents or biases I accept that are obstacles to the truth of Jesus Christ?

God, give me the grace to recognize that I often accept partial truths as if they were incontrovertible realities. Help me take care today of the agendas I set for myself this morning that I check against tonight. Do I measure my worth by the things I plan to do and then carry out? Have I accomplished my will? There is something disappointing and bitter in living that way—checking off accomplishments. What can I hope to accomplish in a day unless I first seek to know your will?

God, I want to live today knowing that your Son frees me to hear your voice and do your will. Lord, thank you for the peace in knowing you are near. You loved me first. Keep me in your truth today and always so that I am free to receive your love! 

 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.

CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY: JANUARY 6

 A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

In yesterday’s reading from John, Jesus tells Nathanael: “you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Today, we see Jesus going to John the Baptist for baptism in the waters of the Jordan. As Jesus rises up out of the water, the heavens open and the Spirit descends upon him. The voice of God the Father speaks from the heavens: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” What am I a witness to day by day that is not as magnificent as the heavens opening but is still a sign of God’s love?

Lord, help me understand that in your Son there is no untruth. What he says, comes to be; just as he said to Nathanael, so it becomes reality. The baptism by John with water precedes the baptism for all by the Holy Spirit. Of Jesus, John says: “I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.” With such humility as John’s, what truths about your nature would I hear you reveal to me? Where are the opportunities throughout each day to recognize your divine authority, presence, and unconditional love? John describes this loving presence in the gift of your Son: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.”

Let me rest, here, Lord in your presence. In your Son, there is the baptism by the Holy Spirit; that is, dying and rising to new life through his resurrection. Grant me the grace, Lord, to recognize and hold in my heart today what Nathanael saw in Jesus: “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

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.