Thoughts on the Last Supper

 

Wednesday of Holy Week

Matthew 26:14–25

Friends, today’s Gospel is from Matthew’s account of the Last Supper, where Jesus acknowledges Judas as his betrayer. God’s desires have been, from the beginning, opposed. Consistently, human beings have preferred the isolation of sin to the festivity of the sacred meal. Theologians have called this anomalous tendency the mysterium iniquitatis (the mystery of iniquity), for there is no rational ground for it, no reason for it to exist. But there it stubbornly is, always shadowing the good, parasitic upon that which it tries to destroy. Therefore, we should not be too surprised that, as the sacred meal comes to its richest possible expression, evil accompanies it.   Judas the betrayer expresses the mysterium iniquitatis with particular symbolic power, for he had spent years in intimacy with Jesus, taking in the Lord’s moves and thoughts at close quarters, sharing the table of fellowship with him—and yet he saw fit to turn Jesus over to his enemies and to interrupt the coinherence of the Last Supper. Those of us who regularly gather around the table of intimacy with Christ and yet engage consistently in the works of darkness are meant to see ourselves in the betrayer.  Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on Palm Sunday

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. The Church will joyfully celebrate the triumphant entrance of Christ into Jerusalem. All over the world, the faithful will carry a palm into Mass. In some places, parishes celebrate with elaborate processions through the streets. In the United States, palm branches are blessed with holy water outside the church or in the narthex, then the congregation processes in to celebrate Mass.

We find ourselves in the final stretch of Lent, just before Holy Week begins. As we approach the finish line, we hope your Lenten observances, fasting, abstinence, and sacrifices have borne good fruit. We commend your faithfulness and encourage you to persevere. There is still time in these remaining days to deepen your prayer. Perhaps add a Rosary, meditate on the Stations of the Cross, or make a meaningful act of almsgiving.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. The liturgy opens with the blessing of palms and a solemn procession, recalling the crowds who spread cloaks and branches before the Lord as he entered Jerusalem. Yet the tone quickly shifts. At Mass, we hear the full reading of the passion, and the same voices that cry “Hosanna!” speak the words of the crowd calling for his crucifixion. Palm Sunday holds joy and sorrow together: the triumphal entry and the looming cross, glory and sacrifice intertwined.

May these final days of Lent be a time of renewed focus and gratitude. Take up your blessed palm and let it remind you that Christ is King, not only of Jerusalem long ago but of your heart today. Walk with him through the passion, remain close to him in prayer, and prepare to rejoice with him at Easter.

Bishop Robert Barron 

Thoughts on Holy Week

Entering our Holy Week…

Beginning this Sunday, Palm Sunday, we enter a companionship with Jesus, who enters his time of fully offering himself to us, and for us. We begin with his entrance into Jerusalem—riding, not a war horse or in a chariot, but on a donkey. This is the “Lamb of God” presenting himself as the paschal lamb, the one who is sent to bring deliverance from bondage, unconditional love for the world.

His journey to the Cross and his resurrection to glory is, as St. Ignatius says, “the greatest mark of His love.” And we are invited to make this journey with Jesus, gifted with gratitude and compassion—and joy. It is our opportunity to spend time with him, as we pray for the grace of compassion—as one would accompany a friend who is going through a loving but difficult time.

Holy Week can be a time when we are drawn together by bonds of love, with gratitude for this wondrous gift. And we can pray for the resurrection grace of sharing in the joy of Jesus in His risen glory and fullness of life.

The hymn, What Wondrous Love Is This, celebrates so well these gifts of love, compassion, gratitude, and joy—that we share in this holy week:

What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul!

To God and to the Lamb who is the great “I Am”

While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be:

And thro’ eternity, I’ll sing on.

May all of us have a blessed week!

Len Kraus, S.J.

Thoughts on the Annunciation of the Lord

 

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Luke 1:26–38

Friends, in today’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel reveals to Mary that she will bear a son who will reign from David’s throne. As background, note that God had promised that David’s throne would last forever, but his line had apparently been broken in 587 BC. Six hundred years later, Gabriel appeared to Mary, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph of the house of David. Greeting her as “full of grace,” the angel announced that she will conceive in her womb and bear a son: “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.” Then comes the kicker that would have taken the breath away from any first-century Jew listening to the story: “And the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” What seemed to have come to an end had in fact just gone underground and was now ready to appear fully in the light. The kingly line of David was in fact unsevered, and now the full meaning of God’s promise would be revealed. Bishop Robert Barron

Thoughts on power

 

God's Power Calls Us Close

From: Finding My Way Home: Pathways to Life and the Spirit

People with power do not invite intimacy. We fear people with power. They can control us and force us to do what we don't want to do. We look up to people with power. They have what we do not have and can give or refuse to give, according to their will. We envy people with power. They can afford to go where we cannot go and do what we cannot do. But God's power is something entirely opposite. God does not want us to be afraid, distant, or envious. God wants to come close, very close, so close that we can rest in the intimacy of God as children in their mother's arms.

Reflection Question: How might I invite God's closeness into moments when I feel fear, distance, or inadequacy?

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.”   - 1 Corinthians 1: 21

Thoughts on worry

 

Choose Life

From: Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety

Jesus says, “Think about the Kingdom first and all the other things you are so worried about will fall into place. Why are you so worried? Why are you so preoccupied? Why are you so afraid? I would like to make you free. I would like you to follow the Lord in whose presence there is life. I want to give you life. If you hold on to your own things you get enemies. You get walls. You get death. There is destruction, war, and violence. But I am the Lord of life. Choose life! Choose me in whose presence there is abundance.”

Reflection Question: What worries or preoccupations most often occupy my mind and heart?

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.”   - Matthew 6: 25

Thoughts on Lazarus

On this fifth Sunday in Lent our Gospel focuses on the raising of Lazarus and the deeper meaning of this action of Jesus. While the tendency might be to focus attention on the “miracle” of Lazarus being brought back to life, there is another part of this beautiful story we might focus on: the love beneath and surrounding this “miracle.” The illness and death of Lazarus brings Jesus to the scene of a reality so familiar to all of us, confronting disease and death, as well as sadness and grief: an essential part of our human condition.

Lazarus and Martha and Mary are dear and beloved friends of Jesus. And amid of the reflections on the power of God to restore life and the meaning of resurrection, what is revealed is the deep love of Jesus in the face of our bereavement, our keen sense of powerlessness, even our sense of the absence of God in those moments. As he gathers at the tomb with his dear friends, he shares their deep grief. And he weeps. What seems to be most obvious to the onlookers and fellow mourners is how much he loved Lazarus, how much he shared the sorrow of Mary and Martha.

Jesus will soon confront the reality of his own death, his own gift of self on the Cross. As we witness his love and his deep feelings for Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, we are invited to deepen our love and trust in the One who has come to bring us life to the full—and to accompany him with our own love and compassion on his journey to Jerusalem.

Len Kraus, S.J.