They paid him thirty pieces of silver…

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Wednesday of Holy Week | USCCB

Every year the Wednesday of Holy Week is known as Spy Wednesday. It’s the day when we hear of Judas meets with the Jewish leaders to turn Jesus over for the cost of 30 pieces of silver.

I often wonder what made Judas betray Jesus to those in authority. He was one of the 12 apostles and spent three years with Jesus hearing him preach and seeing him heal people and bring them back into relationship with God. Couldn’t he see that Jesus was indeed the Messiah? Why was he disappointed with Jesus?

We know that Jesus was destined to die for our sins on the cross. As a result, Judas had his part in having that come about. We do hear in today’s gospel Jesus saying, “Woe to the man would betray me.” (Matthew 26:24) Judas did regret betraying Jesus and attempted to return the 30 pieces of silver. The scribes and pharisees refused to accept the money back, and unfortunately Judas would go off and commit suicide.

Had Judas not committed suicide, when Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, he, like Peter would have received forgiveness.

As we meditate upon Judas’ part in the betrayal of Jesus, let us remember that we, too, betray Jesus every time we sin. But, fortunately for us, the Risen Lord is waiting for us to turn to him in the sacrament of confession to forgive us.

In confession the Lord is asking us, like he asked Peter, “Do you love me?” We respond, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Please forgive me.” Jesus then forgives our sins.

As we approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday, let us turn to the Lord with love in our hearts and know that he is always waiting for us to bring us forgiveness and salvation.

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032626.cfm 

In our gospel for today we see another confrontation between Jesus and the Jews. Jesus was teaching that he is indeed the Messiah and God and to believe in him mean that you have eternal life.

The Jews had a problem accepting the fact that Jesus was both God and Man. They only saw the fact that he was man and considered him possessed for teaching that he is God and as a result were ready to stone him to death.

During this time of Lent as we journey towards Holy Week and Easter Sunday, we can ask ourselves what is our attitude towards Jesus? Is our faith strong in believing that he is the Messiah and our Lord and Savior? Or do we sometimes have doubts as to who Jesus really is in our lives.

There could be many reasons why we would doubt Jesus and his divinity. We daily face issues that we feel frustrated over and may not feel his presence in our day-to-day existence. In our own confusion and pain, it can be hard to hear, hard to see God with us. What might you be clinging to so tightly that you’re not seeing? What’s getting in the way of receiving Jesus?

During the remainder of Lent and during Holy Week, turn to Jesus and pray for help in our issues and pain. Ask the Lord for an increase your faith. Pray: “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” Amen.

"By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons."

 

Scripture for this reflection can be found at  Thursday of the Third Week of Lent | USCCB

In our gospel for today, we see how people had a problem with who Jesus was and what he was doing regarding the healings he was performing. They assumed it was through the Evil One that the Lord was doing these healings. They had trouble accepting the fact that he was the Messiah they have been waiting for and had power over good and evil. Because he is both fully God and fully man, he had this power to heal people and to expel demons. Yet the people were blinded to this truth and rejected him. Jesus rightly points out, “…if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?”

What is our attitude towards Jesus? Do we accept him as Messiah and God? Or do we have our doubts about who he and what he can do in our lives. In today’s gospel and throughout all the gospels we can see and come to know that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. We just need to put our trust in him and know that he will be there for us in all our needs. Our needs may not be as dramatic as in today’s gospel where Jesus is expelling a demon, but Jesus is there for us in all our problems, whether emotional or physical. We just need to turn to him and ask him for his help and healing in whatever we are facing, whether for ourselves or for our families or friends.

In our first reading we hear Jerimiah give us this message from God: “Listen to myvoice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the waysthat I command you, so that you may prosper.” Let us always have God in the center of who we are so that we can receive the emotional or physical healing we need. God will always answer our prayers in a way that we need. We my not get the answer we expect but we will always get the answer or healing God feels we need. We just need to be open to God’s voice in every aspect of our lives.

Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever.

 

She came and fell at his feet.

 

Scripture for this reflection can be found at Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In today’s gospel Jesus originally just wanted to be there unnoticed, but as soon as people heard he was there, it was hard for Jesus to be left alone. The gospel goes on to tell us of Jesus paying attention to a non-Jewish woman who needed her daughter to be healed of the demons that were plaguing her. As we hear, he was reluctant at first to respond to the woman.

Jesus saying to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs” sounds harsh to my ears. At this point, Jesus had been mainly ministering to people who were of Jewish background. But what I think was happening here was that Jesus was starting to reach beyond the Jewish circles and reaching out to the Gentiles to bring his teachings of faith in God and the fact that He’s the savior not only of the chosen people, but for everyone. Once she responds that “even dogs get the scraps from the children’s table,” Jesus sees her faith and grants her request. Central to all of Jesus’s healings in the gospels is faith in Him and His power to cure. He saw in this non-Jewish woman faith in His power to cure her daughter and He granted her request.

This woman is also an example for all of us who may have children that may need our prayers. This woman’s daughter is seriously sick with a demon, and Jesus heals her. We may not have children or relatives as sick as this child, but they may be away from the practice of the faith and still need our prayers for healing and to return to the church. This woman serves as an example of what we should be doing for those people we love: our prayers for them.

During this upcoming season of Lent, let us encourage all those in our lives to return to church on Ash Wednesday, or anytime throughout Lent, to receive the healing that is waiting for them in the sacrament of confession and of Holy Communion. Our prayers and encouragement for those away from Church can be all they need to come back into relationship with God through his Holy Church.

Beatitudes or Be Attitude

 

Scripture reading for today's reflection is from Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel for today, we hear the familiar Beatitudes. We are all familiar with these teachings of Jesus. We’ve heard the beatitudes numerous times throughout our lives, so much so they have become like second nature. But the question is: do we really pay attention to what the Lord is trying to teach us in them?

In these teachings from the Lord, he is teaching us what our attitudes in life should be, in other words: “Be-attitudes.” The Lord is calling us to a life of humility. He’s calling us to be more faithful to our calling as His followers. It’s a way of life that will bring us closer to God.

The Lord starts off by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is inviting us to humility. In other words, we are to think less of ourselves and more of God and of others in our lives. We are to focus on the command of “Love of God and love of neighbor.” By focusing on serving God and that of others will lead us to the rewards of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” We all come across those in our lives that are struggling due to various issues or problems. We are called to bring comfort to these people by being available to them, whether by listening or by just being present and showing compassion to them in their time of need. Sometimes we don’t need to say anything to those who are suffering, we just need to be “good listeners” to those who needs someone who is dealing with a problem.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” is another teaching that our Lord expects us to follow. If there’s any dispute or problem within our family or among our friends, we are called to bring the peace of God into whatever way we can. Bringing the love of God into any dispute or problem can help solve the issue.  

Finally, our Lord reminds us that being his followers is not easy. He says, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” As we live out our lives as followers of Jesus Christ, let us always remain focused on doing what is right according to the Lord and His teachings. People may not understand where we are coming from and attack us for it. Our focus should always be on doing the Will of God. Pleasing God is more important than worrying about what other people may think of us.

Let us rejoice that we are followers of Jesus Christ and pray for those in our lives that may be away from the Lord for whatever reason. Our reward, then, will be great in heaven.

Truth and Consequences

We have a contributor today from Arlene Muller, lector & Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at St. Pancras Parish, Singer in St. Margaret's Choir, Professed Secular Franciscan at St. Adalbert's Secular Franciscan fraternity, itinerant speech/language Therapist with Preschool Children with Delayed Language Development. Arlene likes to write spiritual reflections in words and song to promote the gospel & the gospel of life. Her song "Anthem of Praise" is song by the Adult & Youth Choirs at St. Margaret's Church. 

Arlene is responding to the article in Give Us This Day. The link is as follows: Truth and Consequences - Give Us This Day

My understanding of this account of David being pardoned by GOD for his adultery with Bathsheba, his deception/"cover up", and his murder of her husband, Uriah is twofold: 

1. GOD forgives, cleanses the soul from sin & restores the relationship & fellowship between the sinner (in this case, David), & erases the eternal consequences of the grave sin, so that the sinner (in this case, David) will not spend eternity in hell & will have the hope of heaven. 
2. 
   
3. At the same time, actions have consequences & there are still temporal consequences.  One of the most important life lessons to be learned in life, as early as possible, is that all our actions have consequences, and when we choose an action, whether good, bad, or somewhere in between, we choose the consequences of that action.  That is why our parents & other authorities in our lives discipline us.  GOD is our perfect parent.  In the book of Hebrews the writer addresses the issue of GOD’S discipline: the proof that we are GOD’S legitimate children is that we are subject to GOD’S discipline to perfect us.

The Kingdom of God

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found Friday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel for today the Lord is comparing the Kingdom of God to that of seeds being scattered and growing day by day. The farmer is unaware of how this will happen. He would do his part to nurture the seed by watering and cultivating the ground and allowing the sun to do its part in order for the seeds to grow into full plants, rising towards the sun. The Lord also mentions the mustard seed going from the smallest seeds to the largest of plants.

The seeds mentioned in today’s gospel is comparable to that of our faith in God. The seed was planted at our baptism, whether we were baptized as children or as adults, the seed was planted in us when the water was poured over us and the words of baptism was said by the priest or deacon. Our faith at the time of baptism is small and needs nurturing for it to grow. It is through those around us that our faith is watered and we can grow in relationship with the Lord. As we grow and mature in our faith, we need to take an active part in cultivating it by the regular study of scripture and the precepts of the church. It is through regular study that we can come to a better understanding of who the Lord is in our life and our relationship with Him.  

Further, the regular use of the sacraments, such as receiving Holy Communion often, or going to confession on a regular basis can keep our faith alive and growing. This will be pleasing to God. This is how the Kingdom of God will grow within us and we can get closer to the Lord Jesus.

Further, our own lives can be “seeds” for other people in their faith journey to the Lord. By sharing our faith with others, or by simply praying for them, it will help the kingdom of God grow in them.

Let us continue to grow in our faith by turning to God daily to lead us closer to him. Let us always be open to how God is talking to us through scripture and with His Sacraments. It will be then that we can grow in a way pleasing to God.