Holy Week -5: Meditation: Jesus Betrayed

The betrayals of so many people ended in a tragedy of cosmic proportions. Let us pay particular attention to all those seemingly insignificant decisions made by the supporting actors in this melancholy drama. It won't be difficult to see ourselves in this play; each of us commits the same little murders every day. 

COVID – Prayer-18: Open our Locked Doors

Lord, our God,

Your earth whispered but we did not hear. Your earth spoke but we did not listen. Your earth screamed but we turned her off. And so “it” was born...It was not born to punish us… It was born to awaken us…. The earth cried out for help...Massive flooding. But we didn't listen, Lord. Burning fires. But we didn't listen. Strong hurricanes. But we didn't listen. Terrifying Tornadoes. But we didn't listen. We still don't listen to the earth when….. Ocean animals are dying due to pollutants in the waters. Glaciers melting at an alarming rate. Severe drought.

COVID – Prayer-17: You have invaded, Lord, our Hiding Places

Dear Lord, our God,

You have tested your people often through exiles and wars, snake bites and deprivations, under foreign rules and captivities. Even then they have yearned for the junk food of the slavery of Egypt rather than the freedom to be a chosen people. They have bent their backs before idols and made sacrifices to them. They have rebelled against their leaders and scattered their tribes and communities. Through Covid today, Lord, you have brought us back to our families and communities in order to deepen our bonds and connections. And yet we too yearn for the junk food of the market, desire to thumb through the social media for hours and use the “mobility” of the phones to carry it everywhere with their sounds trespassing the peace and sanctity of the family / community and invading their quiet privacy for reflection, meditation or rest.

Holy Week -3: Mystery of the Cross

Mystery of the Cross

*(R) Redeem us, Lord, and make us redeemers by the mystery of the Cross*

1)         Living the example of Jesus Christ, fidelity to our commitment as religious/Christians, will lead to the cross. Jesus himself told us that following him is reduced to three things: letting go ourselves, taking up our cross, and following him (Lk 9 23). The cross is not merely a possibility in religious life, or even a probability; it is an inevitabili­ty.

Wednesday of Holy Week, Apr 8th

Isaiah 50:4-9 / Matthew 26:14-25 

Jesus speaks about his betrayer: Judas said, “Surely it is not I?”

Judas was able to conceal his plan from the other disciples, but he wasn’t able to conceal it from Jesus. And this allows us to see how Jesus deals with sinners. One of the greatest mysteries of life is the tremendous respect God has for the free will of people. Jesus didn’t force sinners to change their lives. Rather, he invited them to change. He appealed to them to change. At every step of the way, Jesus dealt the same way with Judas. He made Judas the treasurer of the group. He invited him to eat the Last Supper, just as he did the others.

Tuesday of Holy Week, Apr 7

Isaiah 49:1-6 / John 13:21-33, 36-38 

Jesus talks about betrayal: The disciples were amazed at Jesus’ words.

The surprising thing about Judas’ plan to betray Jesus is that the other disciples had no idea of it. How could they have lived so close to Judas and been so blind to what was going on in his mind? There are two lessons here.

COVID – Prayer-16: God of our Hope

Lord, our God, 

We dream of a life no longer merely endured but enjoyed, no longer imposed but in-born, no longer coveted but creative, no longer feared but loved. And, Lord, these days, we continue to experience a life that is limited and conditioned. Our hands, called to open, stay closed. Our homes invited to welcome, stay shut. Our churches designed to praise and worship, are silenced. Our hearts remain frozen, O Lord, with fear and anxiety. No, our road leads not to the penetrating sweep of the light of day, but to choking, stifling night, we fear, O Lord.

Holy Week -2 Meditation: Jesus Emptied

I look at the crucified Lord here and in life. I see him stripped of everything:

*-Stripped of dignity*, naked before his friends and enemies...

*-Stripped of all his possessions*: I remember the times when people wanted just to touch the fringe of his garments.

COVID – Prayer-15: Living by the True Realities of Life

Dear Lord, our God,

As we go through the news of the ravages COVID has created in our world, in our neighbourhoods and in our lives, we console ourselves through the words of our spiritual leader Pope Francis who said, “God has not promised us a sky without storms, roads without accidents, bodies without illnesses, work without fatigue, relationships without misunderstandings and disappointments.” You ask us to learn to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. You teach us not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness, not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures, not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity. Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. Blessed be God for these lessons. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday of Holy Week, Apr 6th

Isaiah 42:1-7 / John 12:1-11 

Judas criticizes Mary: “Why was this oil not sold?”

William Barclay says of Judas’ reaction to Mary’s anointing of the feet of Jesus: “Judas had just seen an action of surpassing loveliness; and he called it extravagant waste. He was an embittered man who took an embittered view of things.” Judas’ reaction illustrates an important fact: “We see things not as they are, but as we are.” H. M. Tomlinson