Monday, April 21, 2014

Tuesday of the Holy Week, Cycle A - April 15, 2014

Tuesday of Holy Week
April 15, 2014      8:30am

 

Today’s readings are a bit of a contrast.
John’s gospel sets the scene for the final events of Jesus’ life.
We hear Jesus foretelling the betrayal by Judas and the denial by Peter.
At the same time, the prophet Isaiah gives assurance that good things will happen.
There will be a servant of God who will be a light to Israel and other nations as well.

So maybe the message of the two readings, if we take them together, is that in all of human life, joy and suffering walk side by side.
This week, Holy Week, we recall the suffering and death of Jesus.
But we cannot do that apart from our knowledge that Jesus is risen.
This coming Sunday and through the Easter Season, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.
But we also cannot forget his passion and death.

I think we know that in much or most of human life, our laughter is often mingled with tears and our tears are often softened with a smile.
For example, we worry and are sad at the serious illness of a family member.
And yet, this is often tempered by the closeness of family members and the care of neighbors in those moments.
On the other hand, we are delighted at the success and accomplishment of a daughter or son.
And yet, that may be tempered by the fact that our parents, their grandparents did not live to see this.

So maybe what I am saying is that the experience of Jesus, shown in today’s readings, often mirrors our own human experience.
This is why we can turn to Jesus in prayer at any moment and in any experience of our lives.

He has been there and he will be here with us in all experiences of our journey.