Life without the Eucharist: Day 21
He was twenty-one days dying & not yet dead.
'Tis the Tuesday of Holy Week: Holy Week-link & Wikipedia-link Holy Week.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Tuesday of Holy Week
The Book of Isaiah, chapter forty-nine, verses one thru six;
Psalm Seventy-one (R/. see: fifteen[a/b]), verses one & two, three & four(a), five(a/b) & six(a/b), & fifteen & seventeen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter thirteen, verses twenty-one thru thirty-three, thirty-six, thirty-seven, & thirty-eight.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today’s Gospel is from John’s account of the Last Supper, where Jesus acknowledges Judas as his betrayer and tells him to get on with it.mysterium iniquitatis (the mystery of evil), for there is no rational ground for it, no reason for it to exist.
God’s desires have been, from the beginning, opposed. Consistently, human beings have preferred the isolation of sin to the festivity of the sacred meal. Theologians have called this anomalous tendency the
But there it stubbornly is, always shadowing the good, parasitic upon that which it tries to destroy. Therefore, we should not be too surprised that, as the sacred meal comes to its richest possible expression, evil accompanies it.
Judas the betrayer expresses the mysterium iniquitatis with particular symbolic power, for he had spent years in intimacy with Jesus, taking in the Lord’s moves and thoughts at close quarters, sharing the table of fellowship with him—and yet he saw fit to turn Jesus over to his enemies and to interrupt the coinherence of the Last Supper.
Those of us who regularly gather around the table of intimacy with Christ and yet engage consistently in the works of darkness are meant to see ourselves in the betrayer.
Reflect: When have you been confronted with the "mystery of evil," and what role did your faith play in processing that confrontation?Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M. (U.S.C. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
"Easter of Hope" Reflection (Array of Hope):
In Today’s Gospel we begin to see a contrast between Peter and Judas. Both will betray Jesus, but we see that only one will seek forgiveness for his actions. The other will fall into despair because he does not trust in Christ’s saving power of forgiveness.Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 86
Who are you more like? Are you like Judas who lacked faith in the love of Jesus and the greatness of His mercy, or are you like Peter, who is quick to repent and return to the Lord? Both were apostles, both betrayed Jesus, but only one knew Jesus’ Heart and trusted in His merciful love.
Today’s Tip: Reread this Gospel passage and ask our Lord to open your heart to His love and mercy. If you are able at this time to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, do so. If you are not currently able to see a priest…. Do an Examination of Conscience and make an interior Act of Contrition and rest assured that the Father hears you. We all turn away from Christ at times, however, He is always waiting for us with arms wide open to lovingly forgive us. Are you going to despair and run away like Judas, or will you run to Jesus for mercy like Peter?
The Book of Leviticus, chapter one, verse one;
The Book of Leviticus, chapter four, verse twenty-seven thru thirty-one.
Commentary: Burnt Offerings (Leviticus, 1:1) & Sin Offerings (4:27-31).
Scripture Study—The 3:16 Project
The Book of Zechariah, chapter three, verse ten.
"In that day, says the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor under his vine & under his fig tree."†
Otherwise, 7 April would be the commemoration of Blessed Notker the Stammerer, Priest, O.S.B. (circa 840-912; A.K.A. the Poet, of Saint Gall): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine '18.
'Twould also be the commemoration of Saint Aibert of Crespin, Priest & Hermit, O.S.B. (1060-1140; A.K.A. of Tournai, also spelt Aybert): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Twould also be the commemoration of Saint Henry Walpole, Priest & Martyr, S.J. (1558-1595) martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I, one of the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link England & Wales & Wikipedia-link England & Wales.
'Twould also be the commemoration of Blessed Alexander Rawlins, Priest & Martyr (1560-1595, A.K.A. Francis Yeale), martyred in the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: St. Henry & Bl. Alexander were martyred together on 7 April 1595.
'Twould also be the commemoration of Blesseds Edward Oldcorne, Priest, & Ralph Ashley, Martyrs, S.J. (died 1606), martyred in the reign of the Anglo-Scottish king James VI & I, a victim of the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot (5 November 1605): Martyr-link Echo Oscar & Wikipedia-link Echo Oscar, Martyr-link Romeo Alpha & Wikipedia-link Romeo Alpha; Gunpowder Plot-link & Wikipedia-link Gunpowder Plot.
'Twould also be the commemoration of Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, Priest, F.S.C. (1651-1719), founder of the De La Salle Brothers (1681, F.S.C.), A.K.A. the Christian Brothers, formally the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link F.S.C.
'Twould also be the commemoration of Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta, Religious (1878-1905, Assunta Maria Pallotta): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"People are made for happiness. Rightly, you thirst for happiness. Christ has the answer to this desire. But He asks you to trust Him."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St.John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"I shall spend every moment loving. One who loves does not notice her trials; or perhaps more accurately, she is able to love them. I shall do everything for Heaven, my true home. There I shall find my Mother in all the splendor of her glory. I shall delight with her in the joy of Jesus himself in perfect safety."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—St. Bernadette of Lourdes (1844-1879, feast: 16 April)
"Whenever there's silence round about me, by day or night, I am startled by a cry. It came from the cross the first time I heard it, & I went out & searched & found a man in the throes of crucifixion. I said, 'I will take you down.'Chesterton Quote o' the Day
"He said, 'I cannot be taken down until every man, woman, & child come together to take me down.'
"'What can I do?' I said, 'I cannot bear your cry.'
"And he said, 'Go into the world and tell everyone you meet there is a man on the cross.'"
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
"We live in an age in which the justification of Judas Iscariot has become quite a hackneyed piece of sentiment for the films."
—G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
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