Maundy Thursday

Good Morning, dear reader. Today is Maundy Thursday. It is the day that Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples. It would be His last meal before His crucifixion.  

Our reading in Isaiah focuses on all the good things that God has given us and done for us. He tells us to rejoice in all this! He heals those who are broken, gives justice to the unjust, and restores the land that He formed. We can rest in His embrace, knowing He will make things right again. We need to remain thankful for all of this, for without God, we would have nothing. 

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John is writing a letter to the churches of Asia, telling them that all will see when Jesus returns, even those who persecuted Him. Jesus is refered to as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end; He is for all time. It was through His death and resurrection that we are freed from our sins. He has given us new life through the loss of His. We are to honor that sacrifice by walking as He did. To minister to others, to give comfort to those who mourn, to share His word so others may also be saved. This is a huge commitment Jesus lays before us. But we know that by putting our trust in Him, He will help us to do these things. 

This is the same request we see in Luke's Gospel. The Holy Spirit is imbued in us, to move in us so that we may be Jesus's disciples. We are to reach out to the "forgotten ones" in today's society; the poor, the lost, the homeless, the infirmed, just as Jesus did. These are the people who need Jesus's love the most. I know as I have been struggling with my own life of late that I have come to rely on Jesus more and more. It is in His love and hope of better things to come that keep me going. 

As we enter the most difficult part of this week, be mindful of how Jesus has moved in your life. Give thanks for all He has done and will continue to do. And most of all, be a nice human. 😇 

I found this video that briefly explains the meaning of Maundy Thursday: https://youtu.be/XRQ0qn7KQ8w

 

Tested Faith

 

Good Morning, dear reader. It would seem that spring has finally sprung here in my corner of the world. It's about time!! 

We shall SPRING 😊 into our first reading!! We hear much about a servant in the book of Isaiah. God is once again foretelling that He will send Someone who will be His "ambassador", who will carry out His will. It describes all the things that Jesus will suffer through while on this earth. We can see this as an example of how our own behavior should be. We are Jesus's "ambassadors", following in His ways. The things we say and do should speak clearly of our faith. When it becomes a challenge to be Christ-like, that is when it is most important to rely on Jesus to help us. It's not going to be easy, times will come when our faith is tested. Can we survive these difficulties by just relying on our faith? Think about it.... 

In Matthews Gospel we are again reading of the Passover and Jesus's betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Jesus knows His days are numbered and that someone closest to Him will be disloyal to Him. I was looking for a synonym for the word betrayal. A few of the choices mentions Judas; there was "play Judas", "give someone a Judas kiss" and "be a Judas to". It's interesting how Judas is equated with being deceitful. It is similar to Janus, who was a Roman god of beginnings and endings. He became associated with being "two-faced". Perhaps this is how Judas got his name. It's almost prophetic! 

I found it quite sad that, for a mere fifty pieces of silver, Judas would sell out the one Person who trusted him. When someone has that kind of faith in you, you don't turn your back on them. If we pair this with our first reading, though, we can see faith being tested. And this is one test that Judas failed. He allowed his greed to overshadow his faithfulness to Jesus. We need to set our priorities according to our faith. We can't allow "worldly goods" to obscure our vision. If we continually allow Jesus to guide our steps, it will become easier to walk in our faith.

These next few days will test Jesus's faith. And, there will come a point when He will question His Father's motives, just as we all do in times of struggle. As hard as it is, if we remain firmly with Jesus, He will get you through. That's where I am at today. The struggle, the uncertainty. There has to be a reason for all this. But, my faith, my belief in God's plan is what's getting me through. 

Try to see God's plan for you. If you can't, ask Him! He will tell you. You just have to be patient. While you are waiting, make sure that you remain a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FOYcWc8Pdg

Palm Sunday

Good Morning, dear reader!! A blessed Palm Sunday to you!! Today we begin our journey into Holy Week. It will be a week of mixed emotions, reflection and prayers. It is never easy watching Jesus during this time as we know what is to come. But, we also know of the joy that it will bring on Resurrection Sunday! 

We start our reading this morning with Jesus entering Jerusalem. I will share with you the footnote from my bible, as I think this gives us some good insight on this:

With the royal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, a new section of Luke's Gospel begins, the ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem before His death and resurrection. Luke suggests that this was a lengthy ministry there, which is  characterised by Jesus' daily teaching in the temple.*

Today is one of the few days we can feel joyous. He is heralded as King as He enters the city. But, the Romans ask Jesus to reprimand His apostles for calling Jesus King. They felt this was an insult to their king, who they saw as true ruler. Jesus told them that He would not do this because even if His apostles kept quiet, others would still recognise Him as King and would call out to Him as such. Jesus is the ultimate rabble rouser and rebel!! 

The reading from Isaiah is a prophetic one as Isaiah is referring to Jesus. Remember, Jesus's birth, death and resurrection are all foretold in the Old Testament. This reading laments the fact that the people will not heed Jesus's teachings. Rather, they are relying on the secular. Because of this, their sins will bring death and destruction to the land. 

As we move on to Philippians, we see the joy of Jesus, exalted by His Father, illustrating the fact that He is to be glorified and revered. Jesus did not act as a god, but as a servant TO God; He exemplified utmost meekness of character. This passage reminds us that we, too, should act like Jesus. Our actions should show our devotion to Him. 

Finally, we go back to the Gospel of Luke, where he tells us the story of The Last Supper. Jesus mentions that this is a Passover celebration. Passover is the Jewish holiday that commemorates the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt. However, Jesus wants it known that instead of making an animal sacrifice for the meal, He will be sacrificing Himself. This will begin a new tradition, as a way to "seal the deal" of the new covenant between man and God. When we partake in Holy Communion, we are recognizing the fact that our salvation was bought and paid for through the body and blood of Jesus Christ, acknowledging our belief in this. 

This is a good time to reflect on your own faith in Jesus. Are you willing to freely accept what He has given up for you? Are you willing to stand by your faith? This is also a good time to participate in the Sacrament of Reconcilliation. Speak of your sins and be willing to accept the consequences of them, thus clearing yourself to take part in communion. 

Be thoughtful and mindful this week, dear reader. And, as always.... be a nice human. 

**Senior, D., Collins, J. and Getty-Sullivan, M., n.d. The Catholic study Bible. (1995)