March 31, 2015 Tuesday of Holy Week

Read It:
Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?”
Jesus answered,
“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
“Buy what we need for the feast,”
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.

When he had left, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,
and he will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him,
“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later.”
Peter said to him,
“Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times.”


Reflect on It: "Master I will lay down my life for you". We all know that Peter ends up denying Christ. In that denial, Peter goes out and weeps bitterly for what he has done. The greatest part of this story though is that there is redemption. Peter goes on to become our first Pope. In all of this  the Lord of the Universe entrusted him with his Church when Christ would go to ascend into Heaven. Christ saw him and loved him and allowed Peter do still do his work in him. This is a powerful image that Christ can do anything within us if we just let him. We just have to seek forgiveness. Recently, Pope Francis said: "The Lord never tires of forgiveness. It is we who tire of asking". Let's be fearless in our asking of forgiveness. The great forgiveness shown to Peter is the forgiveness the Lord desires to show us.

Pray about It: Sweet Jesus, help me to always know that you can forgive me if I but seek your reconciliation. Help me to be fearless in always seeking out that Sacrament.

Live It! Challenge: If you haven't gotten yourself over to confession yet, please get yourself there.