Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Today's Mass Readings

“No one arrested Jesus, because his hour had not yet come.” The hour is his passion. In a way, this shows the power and authority that Jesus has. We hear it over and over again in the gospels, especially within the coming days when either no one could lay a hand on him because he either “slipped away” or “His hour had not yet come” or simply “He walked away.” The only time that people will grab hold of Jesus is not for a healing or a blessing, but that his hour had come. We will experience this next week, when Satan enters Judas, and Jesus gives the authority and says to Judas/Satan, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” It will be dark days by the end of next week. But what Satan thought was his perceived victory was actually the moment of his brutal defeat!

In the responsorial psalm, we hear “Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.” This darkness will only last for a short period of time because Christ, as he says in today’s gospel, is the light of the world. Whoever follows him will not walk in darkness. There have been times in my life that I have walked in darkness and thought, “where is the light?” But I wasn’t using my eyes of faith as I should have, and the light was next to me the whole time! The darkness will come, but the light always conquers the darkness. We will over come the darkness with the light of Christ.

Reflection by Br. Maximilian Burkhart, OSB