Tuesday of Holy Week
“They call it Stormy Monday….but Tuesday’s just as bad…” ~ T-Bone Walker
Deeper into the Lord’s Passion we go on this Tuesday of Holy Week, known to some as “Fig Tuesday” in light of an event that unfolded in the waning days of Christ’s time here on earth as captured in Matthew (21:18-22) and Mark’s Gospel (11:12-25) https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Of-Faith-and-Figs.
On Monday of Holy Week we revisited the celebratory meal that was being held in honor of Lazarus and his shocking resurrection from death (John 12:1-11) https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Monday-of-Holy-Week. It is here that Judas tips his hand, berating the devoted Mary, sister of both Martha and Lazarus, for her extravagant gesture of anointing our Lord’s feet https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Second-Guessers-and-Extravagant-Gestures. Today he would seal his fate (John 13:21-33, 36-38).
"What you are going to do, do quickly,” says the all-knowing Jesus, heartbroken that his hand-picked disciple, he whom he loved beyond measure, would betray him. It’s a sobering reminder to all of us that sin itself is a betrayal, a betrayal of the One who died for our sins. Death on a cross so we would not be chained and bound by the sins that otherwise enslave us. We’re called to be transformed, to move beyond our sinfulness to a life rooted in purity, charity and holiness https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Dont-Take-the-Morsel.
Adding to Jesus’ heartbreak in this very troubling scene is the revelation that Peter too would betray him, famously denying that he knew Jesus three times before the rooster crowed (Matthew 26:35). This causes Peter much distress. Jesus is after all his best friend. Ever passionate and full of ardor, Peter proclaims that he is willing to die for our Lord. He means it. In fact the day would come when he would prove it. In this particular moment however, he would indeed deny our Lord three times as prophesied by Jesus. As one commentator suggests, “Like us, there is something Peter still lacks. At times I may feel so ready to take on anything for love of Christ. But as soon as the “anything” comes, I experience my weakness. There’s even the risk of giving into discouragement at my failures.”
The ultimate fate of Peter stands in stark contrast to that of Judas. Peter would go to become the Rock of our Church https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Set-Fast-Upon-the-Rock, given the Keys to the Heavenly Kingdom https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Daily-Mass-Reflections-89. Judas would hang himself.
Jesus loved Judas as much as he loved the other disciples. He did not want to see Judas lost. Rather he wanted him to be rescued from his sin. Even after handing Jesus over to the authorities to be crucified, Judas was not beyond forgiveness. He could’ve approached our Lord and asked for mercy and it would’ve been granted to him https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Divine-Mercy-In-My-Soul. Rather than availing himself to our Lord’s mercy, Judas instead relents to despair. This is a sobering reminder to each of us: Despair has no place in the life of a disciple of Christ.
Peter on the other hand returns to the Lord, battling the bitter remorse and wrenching despair he undoubtedly felt in every fiber of his being. He made a renewed act of faith in Jesus and let his friend and savior take care of the rest, relying on his signature mercy, the same mercy he saw on display all throughout his earthly ministry.
As Scott Hefelfinger explains in his Lenten Reflection From Denial to Affirmation, “The Church’s spiritual tradition finds in Peter a prototype of the spiritual life and a source of great hope. The way of discipleship has its ups and downs, its victories and defeats; and every setback has the potential, through the grace of deeper conversion, to pave the way for renewed fervor and intimacy with the Lord. If Peter’s denial leads to conversion, so too can our weakness and sin provide the occasion, for turning again to Christ to be fortified by his love.”
Two paths. One leads to death, one leads to eternal life. In today’s passage, we learn that there is no sin that is beyond our Lord’s forgiveness. As Saint Paul reminds us in his Letter to the Romans, “Where sin abounds, grace abounded all the more.” (Romans 5:20-21). Today and every day Jesus invites us to bring our sins to him, and with a sense of profound sorrow seek his forgiveness. While it is true that our sins have offended him, our Lord does not wish to hold them against us. Jesus is not vindictive. He simply wills that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth https://hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/becoming-oddities-for-christ.
But it doesn’t end there. Upon receiving or Lord’s transformative grace and mercy, we are then extended a unique invite. As Father Matthew Mary of EWTN explains in his morning homily, “Jesus then invites us to be heralds of his mercy throughout the world by proclaiming his love and mercy through our own actions, our words, and our intentions. It is through the power of Christ’s merciful love that the wounds caused by sin can be healed and relationships between God and neighbor can be restored.”
It is in forgiving others and forgiving ourselves that we allow the Lord’s healing grace to work powerfully through us for the sake of the salvation of the world.
