Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper - Holy Thursday

First reading: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Gospel reading: John 13:1-15

"As I have done, so you must do."

The gospel for the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper is a story
on what Jesus did during the last meal He had with His apostles:
He rose from the meal table, took off His cloak, picked up a towel
to tie it around Himself, poured water into a basin, and began to
wash His disciples' feet. When He came to Simon Peter, Peter did
not accede at first. Since he knew Jesus to be his Master, he
refused to be washed. When Jesus however explained that this
action will give Peter a share in His heritage, Peter overreacted
and now wanted his hands and his head washed as well! Knowing
Peter well, Jesus told him plainly that only his feet needed to
be washed. So, Jesus finished this prophetic action, and put His
cloak back on, then reclined at table once more.

This act of washing the apostles' feet, is a concrete expression
of what Jesus had been preaching to His people: "that the Son of
Man came not to be served, but to serve." What is also moving in
this washing of the feet is that Jesus had integrated the truth
of humble service in His institution of the Eucharist. As we will
soon celebrate the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, the priest-
presider will also do what Jesus did: he will wash the feet of
twelve selected members of his parish. He will follow Jesus'
command: "As I have done, so you must do."

What does "washing each other's feet" mean for us today? As we
celebrate the Eucharist more often, we receive more frequently the
Body and Blood of Jesus - the very life-force of God which makes
us all act in humble service towards each other, especially to
the members of our family, the people we work with, and the people
we interact daily as we go about the tasks and responsibilities of
everyday. It is in these interactions with people that will call
us to obey the command of Jesus that we do as He has done. In
imitation of Jesus, we forget our self and see what would be good
to the significant persons in our state of life, and especially
to the poor whom we know in our neighborhood.

Wednesday in Holy Week

First reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69
Gospel reading: Matthew 26:14-25

"You have said so."

Wednesday in Holy Week is traditionally called "Spy Wednesday"
because we are given a narration of who the betrayer of Jesus will
be.

The gospel begins with Judas Iscariot asking the chief priests
what he will get in return for handing Jesus over to them. And the
chief priests said, 'thirty pieces of silver'. With that answer,
Judas then sought an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples
asked Jesus where He wants the celebration of the Passover to be.
Jesus gave instructions to His disciples and they did as He
ordered. As night time approached, they were all reclined at
table. Jesus then revealed to all, that one of them would betray
Him. One after another they began to say to Jesus, "Surely it is
not I, Lord?" When it was Judas Iscariot's turn to say, "Surely it
is not I, Rabbi?", and Jesus said, "You have said so."

"You have said so." All of the apostles said one after another,
"Surely, it is not I, Lord?". But when it was Judas who said the
same to Jesus, Jesus knew what was in his heart. Jesus can
discern clearly and see through the hidden intentions of Judas.
By Judas' own words, his heart and the darkness of his soul was
revealed.

Loyalty is not perfect. And we see this even among the apostles
of Jesus. When Jesus was arrested, his apostles all fled. Peter
denied Him three times. And Judas was the cause of all this chaos
and commotion. If all had been perfectly loyal to Jesus, then we
might have an entirely different story altogether. But our human
flesh is weak (and Judas was tempted to disloyalty because of
money). And the words we speak betray what is in our heart. Have
you ever experienced saying something to another person and then
suddenly realizing that what you said betrays an inner anger,
envy, jealousy, or enmity? Our words can betray our soul. Let
us therefore take the message of the gospel to examine ourselves:
"In what ways have I betrayed the Lord Jesus? What have I said to
others that has led me to make Jesus suffer?"

Tuesday in Holy Week

First reading: Isaiah 49:1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 71
Gospel reading: John 13:21-33, 36-38

"And it was night."

The gospel account for Tuesday in Holy Week portrays a scene where
Jesus was at table with His disciples. There are many revelations
made in this gospel passage:

• Judas will betray Jesus to the chief priests
• The imminent passion, death and resurrection of Jesus
• Peter denying Jesus three times

With these revelations, we can reflect on the sinful nature of our
humanity - as expressed in the persons of Judas and Peter.

Sin is often equated with darkness. That is why when Satan
entered Judas, Judas left the table were Jesus and His disciples
were reclining, and walked away into the night. Judas left the
source of Light, journeyed during the night - leading himself into
the direction of sin. The sin of Judas even led him to despair -
making him lose all sense of hope.

On the other hand, Peter's denial of Jesus occured just before the
cock crowed three times - a time when the darkness of night was
soon to turn into the light of dawn. Could this be symbolic of
the truth that Peter's denial of Christ would eventually lead him
to repentance and thus follow the direction of the Light? Whatever
truth this symbol means, what is important is Peter never lost
hope in the forgiveness and mercy of Jesus. He repented.

In our lives as Christians, our sinful nature may sometimes lead
us to be tempted to betray Christ by our sinful actions, and to
deny Christ by our sinful words. What is important is that we
always acknowledge with humility our sinfulness before God and
the Church through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation,
and never lose hope in God's mercy. If we follow this direction,
we will be led to greater fidelity in doing God's will and follow
Him as we deny ourselves, take up the crosses of our state of
life, and imitate Christ's sense of self-sacrificing service to
our family and community.

Monday of Holy Week

First reading: Isaiah 42:1-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27
Gospel reading: John 12:1-11

"Many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus."

The gospel for Holy Monday narrates how Jesus spent some time in
the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, just six days before the
Passover. As he was given a dinner in the house, Mary took a
liter of perfumed oil, anointed the feet of Jesus, and dried them
with her hair. This action by Mary elicited an angry response
from Judas Iscariot, who saw only the expense of such an action,
rather than the love Mary expressed to her Master. Jesus then
defended Mary's action, and told Judas that this was to prepare
Him for His burial. This gathering of Jesus and His disciples in
the house of His three friends in Bethany, caught the attention of
the Jews in the area, who also gathered outside the house as a
large crowd, so that they could see not only Jesus, but also
Lazarus who was raised from the dead. Because of this great
miracle Jesus performed in Bethany (the raising of Lazarus), many
of the Jews were turning away from the teaching of the chief
priests, and started believing in Jesus. For this reason, the
chief priests plotted to kill Jesus - and Lazarus too!

This gospel account helps us to see how six types of people relate
with Jesus, in the persons of Martha, Mary, Lazarus, Judas the
Iscariot, the believing Jews, and the chief priests. The way
these six types of people related with Jesus in the gospel can
help us examine and search our hearts, and see its state in
relation to Jesus. Is our heart filled with a sense of service
like Martha? Is it filled with great respect and love like Mary?
Is it filled with special closeness to God like Lazarus? Or is
it filled with concern only for money and material expense like
Judas? Is our heart filled with faith, wonder, and awe like the
believing Jews? Or is it filled with envy, jealousy, and murder,
like the chief priests? We know that if we feel any of the
above towards our brothers and sisters, we are also feeling the
same way in relation to Jesus. For whatever we think, feel, or
do to the least of our brethren, we also do unto Christ.

Holy week is a time for us to be emptied of self and to be filled
with the Spirit of Jesus and more concern for others, especially
our immediate family. It is a time to examine our conscience,
and the state of our heart with regard to God, others, and our
own selves. Instead of the attitude of Judas and the chief
priests, let us instead be like Martha, who was filled with a
spirit of service to God. Or let us imitate the spirit of Mary and
Lazarus who were filled with love and closeness to God. And we
can also be like the believing Jews, who went out of their way to
seek Jesus, and marvel at the wonders God works through His Son.

4th Sunday of Lent (B)

4th Sunday of Lent, Year B

First reading: 2 Chronicles 36:14-17, 19-23
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 137
Second reading: Ephesians 2:4-10
Gospel reading: John 3:14-21

"God so loved the world that He gave His only Son..."

The gospel account for the 4th Sunday of Lent this coming March
22, is from the evangelist John. It presents Jesus teaching
Nicodemus about the love the Father has for the world by giving
His only Son...and that whoever believes in the Son will not die,
but have eternal life. Jesus taught that the Son of Man was
sent by God into the world so that people and all of creation
will be saved through Him.

Jesus teaching Nicodemus (a Jewish leader and a one of the
Pharisees) gives us an opportunity to also learn about God's
great love for us - a love expressed in His desire to save all
creation through His Son Jesus. And it also gives us an
opportunity to know who Jesus is. The images the gospel account
presents Jesus to us as: the crucified Savior ("the Son of Man
lifted up"); the Way to eternal life ("all who believe may have
eternal life in Him"); the Light that came into the world, and
the Truth who will set us free ("he who acts in truth comes into
the light...to make clear that his deeds are done in God")

It is truly difficult to fathom the depths of God's love for us.
That is why He sent His Son Jesus to help us know the Way and the
Truth of this Love. As long as we live in God's Love, we are on
the narrow road to salvation - a road which "denies one's self,
takes up one's cross, and follows Christ". Once we however get
sidetracked or backslide from the Way, we risk being lost and
being condemned by our own choosing. Let us therefore take all
opportunities to "come back to the Lord with all our heart", and
then hold fast to Jesus - always acting in truth, that we may be
immersed in His Light and feel assured that our deeds "are done
in God".

2nd Sunday of Lent (B)

2nd Sunday of Lent, Year B

First reading: Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116
Second reading: Romans 8:31-34
Gospel reading: Mark 9:2-10

"This is My Son...Listen to Him."

The gospel for the 2nd Sunday of Lent (B) invites us to
meditate and contemplate on the mystery of Christ's
Transfiguration. Mark describes how Jesus was transfigured
before His inner circle of apostles (Peter, James, John): "His
clothes became dazzlingly white - whiter than the work of any
bleacher could make them...Elijah and Moses appeared and were in
conversation with Jesus...and out of the cloud a voice said
- This is my Son...Listen to Him."

In our Catholic tradition, we are familiar with many popular
images of Jesus: the gospel images of Jesus and Jesus as He is
presented to us through Catholic devotions. It is very rare
though to find an image or painting of the Transfiguration.
Probably because painters or icon-makers may find it difficult
to represent Christ transfigured in "dazzlingly white". But the
vision of Christ transfigured is a vision meant to strengthen
His apostles when they would eventually see Him beaten, crowned
with thorns, crucified, and dying on the Cross

The mystery of the Transfiguration is one of the five light
mysteries of the rosary. If we plumb the depths of this
Christian mystery, we can harvest many spiritual insights into
the nature of Jesus as both God and man. It can teach us to see
that God took our human form (except for our sinful nature), so
that He may walk with us, teach us, heal us of our sins and our
afflictions, and shepherd us to eternal life. What this eternal
life is, we will only know after our death. But in the mystery
of the Transfiguration, Jesus helps us get a glimpse of this life
in God. His transfigured form lets us behold His divinity and His
glory - a glory that He will share with us as we also deny
ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him.

This season of Lent calls us to see our life from a higher
perspective (like what Jesus did in leading Peter, James, and
John up a high mountain). As those called to live in the world
and work amidst the grind of earning a living and building a
family, we tend to forget our higher purpose and get mired too
easily with the concerns of worldly life. As we journey on this
season of Lent, let us ascend from the familiar milieu we are
daily immersed in, and seek God as the Light that will strengthen
us amidst the darkness of our times. As we seek God's Light, He
shall grant us the gift of wisdom and understanding so that we
may see our life better, and viewed from a stronger Christian
perspective. And as we continue our Lenten journey, let us pray
for a true sorrow for our sins, that we may be purified and
purged of all things in our being that prevents us from seeing
Jesus as the Light of our life.

1st Sunday of Lent (B)

1st Sunday of Lent, Year B

First reading: Genesis 9:8-15
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25
Second reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22
Gospel reading: Mark 1:12-15

"He stayed in the wasteland forty days, put to test there by
Satan."

Bible scholars tell us that certain numbers in the text of the
Scriptures have special meaning. Like the number forty. In the
gospel for the 1st Sunday of Lent, we will hear proclaimed to us
that Jesus stayed in the wasteland "for forty days, put to the
test there by Satan." When we look to the other passages of the
Bible, especially in the Old Testament, when God destroyed the
world by flood, He let it rain for "forty days and forty
nights". And also, when Israel as a people, escaped from their
slavery in Egypt, they had to journey in the desert for about
"forty" years. Forty in the Bible is a number that may be
associated with testing, trial, purification, and purgation.
That is why it is also in the Lenten tradition of our Catholic
faith that forty days are designated as a holy season for us
to engage in spiritual exercises that purify and purge us from
our sins.

The gospel of Mark is very brief and concise. It does not give
a graphic description of how Jesus was tempted. It just says
that Jesus "stayed in the wasteland for forty days, put to the
test there by Satan". It is the gospel of Luke which describes
to us in more detail how Jesus was tempted. We will learn more
in Luke's account how Jesus three times was victorious over the
temptations of Satan. But in Mark, what was simply stated was
that Jesus was with "the wild beasts, and angels waited on him."
It is implied in Mark that Jesus passed the test, for God's
angels looked after Him."

Lent is a time for us to follow the example of Jesus - to seek
solitude and and spend more time in prayer. Prayer and solitude
are in themselves occasions for the Evil One to tempt us. He
will tempt us to abandon the time for silence and solitude and
to seek the company of others - thereby destroying the
opportunity for us to strengthen our personal relationship with
God. And also, the discomfort of emptiness, of waiting, of
long prayers or liturgical services, may be the occasion for the
Evil One to distract our focus - making us instead think of
other things to fill the emptiness we feel deep inside us. But
we can triumph over these temptations if we place our focus on
Christ and the example that He gives. He will help us to
persevere and not to give up on our prayer. If we follow Jesus
in His commitment to obey the Father's will by committing
ourselves also to serve God, to follow His will, and to seek His
Wisdom in all things, we will be able to prioritize God above
all other things in our life. So, if ever strong temptations
assail us from our environment or from within us, let us not
trust in our own strength, but let us humble ourselves,
acknowledge our weakness, and trust in the strength of God to
conquer evil. Let us not be tempted to seek ourselves but to
be faithful to our commitments made in God - as we serve and
love Him through our family, in the tasks and responsibilities
of our work, and through the parish community in which we may
have the opportunity to be part of.