“GENEROUS LENT 2017”
Lenten Reflections
Tuesday, 11th April 2017,
Holy Week
Is 49: 1-6;
Ps 71: 1-6, 15, 17;
Jn 13: 21-33, 36-38.
FREE TO CHOOSE JESUS!
It’s the last week of Jesus’ life. The 13 of them are eating the Passover meal and it’s a tense time. Jesus predicted his betrayal, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” And nobody could believe it would be him, “Surely it is not I.” Pride keeps us from admitting our faults or failures and that’s exactly what was happening at this meal. “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” Thus Judas betrayed him simply out of greed. And Peter denied because he was fearful for his own life and lied, to give himself an escape from danger.
Jesus had a human heart and loved Judas with a divine love through His human heart. As a result of this perfect love of Judas, Jesus’ heart was deeply troubled. It’s not that Jesus was personally offended or angered by Judas’ betrayal. Rather, it’s that Jesus’ heart burned with a deep sorrow at the loss of Judas whom He loved with a perfect love. Judas had free will. Without free will Judas could not freely love Jesus. But with free will, Judas chose to betray Jesus. The same is true with us. We have free will and we are given the same ability that Judas had to accept the love of Jesus or to reject it. We can let His loving gift of salvation and grace enter our lives or refuse it. It is fully up to us.
Holy Week is an ideal time to seriously contemplate the road we are on. Each and every day of your life you are invited by God to choose Him with all your might and love. But, like Judas and Peter, we so often betray Him by our refusal, embracing His Cross as ours. We so often fail to give completely of our lives in a sacrificial and generous way, as our Lord did. In this holy week, let us introspect, if I am willing to seek forgiveness from the Merciful Jesus? Let us thus turn towards Jesus and follow him with the Cross during this Holy Week.
Prayer: Lord, I do love You, but I also know that I cause Your Heart to be troubled by my betrayal. Help me to see my sin honestly this Holy Week. In seeing it, may I let go of that which keeps me from loving You more deeply, so as to walk with You to the Cross to share in Your glorious triumph. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen
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