We are now in the middle of Holy Week as we continue our journey toward Easter. The Gospel story today may be a bit disconcerting and troubling to hear. Lent is a time when we focus upon repentance and conversion, when we become more aware of the sins we have in our lives, when the Church calls us to the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Lent is a time that helps us focus on those human weaknesses that we need to work on in our lives. Today's Gospel is a foreshadowing of the human weaknesses that allow Peter and Judas to fall into sin, to miss the mark, to betray their teacher and friend Jesus.
Judas and Peter find themselves in challenging situations. We might ask ourselves how we respond to God when we find ourselves in difficult and challenging situations on our own journey of faith? Many of us may try to avoid such a troubling situation altogether, which may be a very natural human response. Judas and Peter were two men who were very close to Jesus, yet they turned away and did him harm. To be sure, Judas and Peter were in life threatening circumstances just by associating with Jesus. They were concerned about how the authorities would respond to Jesus and his disciples. They may have felt pressure from the religious authorities in Jerusalem. They may have had little time to reflect upon and pray about their reaction and the choices that they faced.
Yet, the events we hear in today’s Gospel are an integral part of Jesus' passion narrative. We understand these events in the light of Jesus' death and resurrection, in the light of the salvation which Jesus brings us. We understand these events through the presence of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to be among us. These are the events that give us hope as we struggle through our own human weaknesses, as we struggle with all that keeps us from God.
Let us pray for a greater understanding of the events that lead to Jesus' journey to the cross. Let us pray for a greater understanding of those human weaknesses that we struggle to overcome as we walk with Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment