+ Our readings today reflect the intensity that is picking up now in our
observance of Lent: tomorrow, in fact, with be the last day of Lent for this
Liturgical Year, with Sunday, Palm Sunday beginning the holiest week of the
year culminating in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper and Washing of Feet on
Thursday, The Passion of Death of the Lord on Friday, and then the Great Vigil
of his Glorious Resurrection from the Dead to a fullness of human life on Saturday
Night / Sunday Morning.
And so, the reading from the
Prophet Jeremiah rightly captures what must have been going on inside the human
mind of the most perfect human being who ever lived – who therefore thought as
we think, reasoned as we reason, and felt what we feel emotionally. “Terror on every
side!” Jesus must have instinctively felt now, as the forces of the power of
the evil one closed in on him! He knew his “hour” was near now – and he yearned
for it – yearned for it to be over with all the love his Sacred Heart could
muster – for us, for you, for me – Jesus never did, thought, or said anything “of
his own, on his own, or for himself” – it always reflected what the Father
communicated to him, for our salvation.
Yes, the forces were watching
for any misstep of his, to trap him and
take vengeance on him. But he knew that
the Lord, like a mighty champion would resuce him, and cast that sorry lot into
a sea of confusion, from which they would never recover. And so, in his Heart
and Soul, he continued to sing songs of praise to God his Father who would see
him through to the end. What is so very important to note here – is that God
the Father, is also our Father, and he see us through our trials in we but
utterly abandon ourselves to him in love and trust! He is our loving, tender,
doting, protective Father!
Jesus in the gospel passage,
attempts to reason with his persecutors – although he knew it would not work – “if
you don’t believe in me, that I am from God, because of the words I am saying:
(words of irreproachable truth – then at least look at the works I am doing:
the miracles I am performing and deduce that only one who is from God – could do
these” – there is simply no other explanation for the transformations and
restorations.
But they were too blinded in
their fear of threat to their authority and their puffed-up opinions of
themselves to hear a thing he was saying: they were hell-bent (at least for
themselves for sure) on getting rid of this menace to their false sense of
peace in their religious sham.
May we enter into the events
of Holy Week, trying to put ourselves in Jesus place, because he was absolutely
putting himself in ours – as we rest assured our distresses, trials and
tribulations can be overcome with HOPE, and TRUST and PRAYER – and GOOD WORKS
DONE FOR LOVE OF HIM – as we watch and see how that whole ashes to Easter
dynamic got its life giving effect.
In my
distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
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