Wednesday of Holy Week

Today's Mass Readings

“‘Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, ‘Surely it is not I Lord?’” How often do we say “Surely it is not I, Lord?” We are placed in the presence of Jesus and have entered into union with him through our Baptism, and yet, we still fall. But we do not always believe we can or know that we have fallen. The Holy Spirit has been given to us as a guide to form our consciences so that we feel guilt we when betray our Beloved. We become deeply distressed at the suggestion that we could even turn away from Christ, yet it happens. We know that pretty much all of the disciple of Christ would turn away from Him.

Judas betrays him and hands him over to be killed, Peter would deny him three times and most of the rest would go into hiding or at best stand cloaked at a distance so as not to be seen. We often say, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” and yet, we do fall. We deny Jesus when we do not stand up for our beliefs. We turn away from him when we embrace sinfulness. We go into hiding when we do not live our Christian lives in public. Do others know we are Christians by our Love? When we fall, we should cry out with the psalmist, “Lord, in your great love, answer me.” For in his mercy, he is there to pick us up and bring us back into his divine Love. So let us, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.”

Reflection by Br. Placid Dale, OSB