Readings for Monday of Holy Week[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Isaiah 42:1-7
This is the first of the four “Servant of the Lord” oracles from Isaiah. Speaking as the mouth of God, the prophet speaks of a renewal of Israel in his time. The servant comes, not as a violent zealot but with the quiet power of God (“A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench”). We see the deeper meaning as his words describe the coming of the Christ who brings justice on the earth.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
This section of the psalm is a profession of faith in the salvation that comes only from the Lord God. This selection is frequently used in Christian Funerals because of the hope embodied in it.
Gospel John 12:1-11
In this scene from St. John’s Gospel we are painted a picture of Judas not found in other accounts. John shows him as a greedy and dishonest person. We suspect this understanding of Judas came after his ultimate act of betrayal. At the time it would have seemed like a reasonable question.
Jesus again tells the disciples that the time for his trial is at hand as he tells them; “You will always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” The sense of finality is growing as we are also told of the plot to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus in an attempt to stamp out the Lord’s popularity among the people.
Reflection:
We have started our final week of this Lenten Season with the celebration of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Since we know what follows, we also know that this is the time in Jesus ministry when he must have felt he had almost accomplished what he had been sent for. While in the Heart of the Son of God, Jesus knows his passion looms on the horizon, in the hopes of the true man Jesus, he is hoping that perhaps the cup will pass.
In the Gospel we find him sitting down with his close friends, Lazarus, Mary and Martha (again Martha is serving while Mary dotes over Jesus). St. John observes some sinister things about Judas that take us by surprise. Yes we know Judas will betray Christ to the Sanhedrin. But in other accounts, this is done for reasons other than greed. No hint is given in Matthew, Mark or Luke that Judas was a thief, driven by greed. Surely Jesus, who knows the hearts of people clearly, would not have taken Judas as one of his closest friends knowing that he could not follow him, would he?
We suspect that St. John, writing his account years after the events, sees Judas as totally flawed. The person that committed the ultimate betrayal could never have been a true friend, could never have been counted with the rest of the twelve. Still he was called, he did walk with the Lord, and he did sit by his side as he taught. No man could have made that journey and remained totally evil.
We hear the scorn in St. John’s Gospel today and feel pity for Judas. Because he was weak and could not see what was before him, he fell. He fell like no person since the evil one himself was thrown out of heaven fell. His soul still writhes in torment and we feel pity for the man who had to be. The man that caused the Lord of Life to be lifted on the cross plays his role and Jesus walks the path knowing the end is coming soon.
Part of the reason we feel this way about Judas is we see some fraction of our own fallen nature – our own betrayals of the Lord we too follow. In this Holy Week let us pray that we never judge others by a standard by which we ourselves cannot hope to measure up.
Pax
Please Pray for Esther
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture for today is “St Lazarus between Martha and Mary” by and unknown Spanish Master 1400 -1450
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Isaiah 42:1-7
This is the first of the four “Servant of the Lord” oracles from Isaiah. Speaking as the mouth of God, the prophet speaks of a renewal of Israel in his time. The servant comes, not as a violent zealot but with the quiet power of God (“A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench”). We see the deeper meaning as his words describe the coming of the Christ who brings justice on the earth.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
This section of the psalm is a profession of faith in the salvation that comes only from the Lord God. This selection is frequently used in Christian Funerals because of the hope embodied in it.
Gospel John 12:1-11
In this scene from St. John’s Gospel we are painted a picture of Judas not found in other accounts. John shows him as a greedy and dishonest person. We suspect this understanding of Judas came after his ultimate act of betrayal. At the time it would have seemed like a reasonable question.
Jesus again tells the disciples that the time for his trial is at hand as he tells them; “You will always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” The sense of finality is growing as we are also told of the plot to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus in an attempt to stamp out the Lord’s popularity among the people.
Reflection:
We have started our final week of this Lenten Season with the celebration of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Since we know what follows, we also know that this is the time in Jesus ministry when he must have felt he had almost accomplished what he had been sent for. While in the Heart of the Son of God, Jesus knows his passion looms on the horizon, in the hopes of the true man Jesus, he is hoping that perhaps the cup will pass.
In the Gospel we find him sitting down with his close friends, Lazarus, Mary and Martha (again Martha is serving while Mary dotes over Jesus). St. John observes some sinister things about Judas that take us by surprise. Yes we know Judas will betray Christ to the Sanhedrin. But in other accounts, this is done for reasons other than greed. No hint is given in Matthew, Mark or Luke that Judas was a thief, driven by greed. Surely Jesus, who knows the hearts of people clearly, would not have taken Judas as one of his closest friends knowing that he could not follow him, would he?
We suspect that St. John, writing his account years after the events, sees Judas as totally flawed. The person that committed the ultimate betrayal could never have been a true friend, could never have been counted with the rest of the twelve. Still he was called, he did walk with the Lord, and he did sit by his side as he taught. No man could have made that journey and remained totally evil.
We hear the scorn in St. John’s Gospel today and feel pity for Judas. Because he was weak and could not see what was before him, he fell. He fell like no person since the evil one himself was thrown out of heaven fell. His soul still writhes in torment and we feel pity for the man who had to be. The man that caused the Lord of Life to be lifted on the cross plays his role and Jesus walks the path knowing the end is coming soon.
Part of the reason we feel this way about Judas is we see some fraction of our own fallen nature – our own betrayals of the Lord we too follow. In this Holy Week let us pray that we never judge others by a standard by which we ourselves cannot hope to measure up.
Pax
Please Pray for Esther
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture for today is “St Lazarus between Martha and Mary” by and unknown Spanish Master 1400 -1450
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