WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Wednesday of Holy Week

Readings: Isaiah 50:4-9;
Matthew 26:14-25

Scripture:

"I looked for sympathy, but there
was none; for comforters, and I
found none." (Psalms 69:21)

Reflection:

Many great spiritual writers have
written about "the dark night of the
soul." This is a time when we experience
a sense of complete abandonment and
aloneness. We are slowly being surrounded
by the darkness with no one there to help us
or even walk with us. One religious sister
told me of her experience with the dark night.
She was in chapel praying and was overcome
with a sense of God's complete absence.
There was nothing there to pray to. She was
so scared she had to run from the chapel!

Of all the days in Jesus' life, today is one of the
darkest. The readings show us a Jesus Who is
abandoned and betrayed. He is facing His most
difficult moment, His death, and the people He
most relied on are deserting Him. Isaiah
prophesies that the Messiah will face His pain
and tortures alone. The responsorial psalm echoes
his soft cry for help: "Lord in Your great love,
answer Me!"

We have all faced dark nights of the soul when
everything seems lost and we are forsaken. In
this darkness, we stand with Jesus and with Isaiah.
We rely on our belief that, as it did in the first
moments of creation, the voice of God will create
a dawn in the darkness.

Prayer:

Prayer for Wednesday of Holy Week

Father, in your plan of salvation your Son
Jesus Christ accepted the cross and freed us from
the power of the enemy. May we come to share
the glory of his resurrection, for he lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Readings: Isaiah 49:1-6;
John 13:21-33; 36-38

Scripture:

"I tell you solemnly; one of
you will betray me!" (John 13:21)

Reflection:

Throughout Jesus' ministry He always
spoke of love without limits, forgiveness
instead of revenge, and service over
domination. In our gospel, Jesus
struggles with His own commitment to
live those words that He has spoken so
often and so fervently. We see that Jesus
is "deeply troubled," His depression arising
from the betrayal of Judas and the lying of
Peter. Now Jesus must forgive the betrayal
and deceit that has torn and ripped apart
the fabric of love between Him and His
friends. Jesus realizes that He must stand
alone to face his sufferings and death. It
will not be His disciples or His friends that
see Him through, but only His trust in God.
Jesus believes God will not fail Him.

The words of Isaiah give Jesus hope that
there is an anchor in this sea of deceit:
"The Lord called me from birth, from my
mother's womb he gave me my name.
God is now my strength." (Isaiah 49:1, 5).

We also are not free from the disciples' flaws.
How often have we been like Judas, rejecting
the call to love and entering the darkness,
or like Peter, lying to protect our own skins?
We ask forgiveness and renew our fidelity to
the Lord Who walks alone.

Prayer:

Father, may we receive your forgiveness and
mercy as we celebrate the passion and death
of the Lord, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Readings: Isaiah 42:1-7;
John 12:1-11

Scripture:

"Then she dried his feet with her
hair, and the house was filled with
the ointment's fragrance." (John 12:3)

Reflection:

We usually take great pains to prepare
for big occasions. The greater the occasion,
the more personal preparation time we
need. Brides take all day to prepare for
their weddings; a teenager spends the
afternoon dressing for the prom; the coroner
spends a day dressing and perfuming a body
for viewing. During Holy Week, we watch
Jesus face the greatest events in His
ministry--His Passion, death, and resurrection.
In our gospel today, Jesus allows Mary to
begin His preparation. The costly perfume
she uses to anoint Jesus symbolizes her
love and the love of His friends who will stay
with Jesus through the tumultuous week
ahead. For Judas, who has no love or
intention to stay with Jesus, the perfume
becomes a sign of conflict.

As this Holy Week begins, who will we be?
Will we be Mary, who has a passionate love
for Jesus and respects His mysterious personality?
Can we, like Mary, take the expensive perfume
of our lives and lay it at the feet of Jesus? Can we
choose to love Jesus with all of our being (using
even our very hair to dry His feet)? This is the love
Jesus will display to us through this week!

Or will we be Judas? Will we be concerned about
all the exterior things? Will we worry about how
our money is used and what others will say?
Will we avoid the journeys through suffering and
death, eventually living more in the dark than in
the day?

Renew this day your passionate love for the Lord.
Choose to stay with the Lord and with yourself
through the sufferings of the week.

Prayer:

All-powerful God, by the suffering and death
of your Son, strengthen and protect us in our
weakness. We ask this through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

THE PALMS

Like that of the prophets of old, this was
an overt act designed to drive home the
truth of the whole matter: a king bent on
war rode a horse, but one seeking peace
rode an ass. John’s crowd was remembering
another triumphal entry, one that Simon had
decreed would be marked annually as a
Jewish independence day. Jesus’ mind,
however, was on something else:

Scripture:

Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, 0 daughter of Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on an ass,
on a colt the foal of an ass [Zech. 9:9].

Reflection:

The palm wavers rightly see triumph in
Jesus, but they don’t understand it. Jesus
has come to conquer not Rome but the
world. He comes to the holy city not to
deal death or to sidestep death, but to
meet death head-on. He will conquer the
world and death itself by dying. Just after
his triumphal entry, according to John,
Jesus makes it clear how he will win:
"Now is the judgment of this world, now
shall the ruler of this world be cast out;
and I, when I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men to myself" (12:31-32) His
being lifted up to glory is at once his being
lifted up on the cross.

We confess our misunderstanding. We, too,
come to the city gate, agendas in hand, amid
crowds lined up as though Santa Claus were
coming to town. In a world that routinely places
ultimate value on less than ultimate things, even
the faithful are tempted to come with their want
lists. Our nationalistic or consumeristic religions
preach that to keep the rest of the world scared
or guessing while satisfying our seemingly
endless material desires is to be not far from
the Kingdom of heaven.

The palms say that such an approach has been
taken before, but has been found wanting. Glory
worthy of the name, the glory that is promised,
will not be found in a new hero, system or political
movement. "My kingship is not of this world,"
says the Johannine Jesus (18:36) -- who also says
of his followers, "they are not of the world" (17:14)
Jesus’ glorification comes through an act of self-
sacrificing love. Life of eternal dimensions is the
here-and-now gift to those who believe that this
self-sacrificial One is the Son of God. The waving
branches say that we misunderstand as did his
disciples. Our hopes and dreams are too much
occupied by the ultimately doomed and dead.
And as in the case of the disciples, only Jesus’
death and resurrection will clear up our
misunderstanding.

by Byron L. Rohrig

Prayer:

Lord, you entered Jerusalem with peace in your
heart. Be our vision that we too can live as people
of peace in the face of the world’s many conflicts.
May we hold your vision of justice and peace ever
before us.

ALL WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF!

Scripture:

Matthew 28:18-21 (New International Version)

18Then Jesus came to them and said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a]
the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age."

Reflection:

When i accepted Jesus Christ into my heart
and into my life, I was excited, I mean really
excited. I don't think there was a person
alive that I didn't tell about my experience of
Christ as my personal savior. This experience
changed my entire life and I simply wanted
everyone know about it.
But something happened, something that
caused me to stop talking to others about
Christ.
I began to permit fear to enter my life. I began
to fear the consequences of my testamony.
I was afraid of the ridicule, the laughter, the
weird looks, the under the breath comments,
the anger that I would receive. I was affraid
of persecution.
I looked to the Holy Scriptures for an answer
to my fear. The first verses I read was
Matthew 28: 18-21. I suddenly realized
that I had chosen to follow Jesus Christ who
had all the authority of heaven and earth.
That power had been given to Him by our
Father in heaven. With His power behind
me there was no reason to fear! And as a further
reward, Jesus Christ will be with me forever.
WITH THAT KIND OF AUTHORITY WITH ME
THERE IS NO REASON TO FEAR!

Prayer:

Father God thank You for Jesus Christ Your
Son Who You gave all power and authority
in heaven and on earth. With You by my side I
need not fear.
AMEN

IF GOD LIVES IN YOU

Scripture:

34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they are
doing."[a] And they divided up his
clothes by casting lots.
Luke 23:34 (New International Version)


Reflection:

You know forgiveness is really, really,
hard. As a matter of fact forgiveness
is impossible. When we are on our
own, when we are what we term
"Being Human", when we continue
to do "what comes naturally", we
will dream of paying back those who
have hurt us. But with the power of
the Holy Spirit, with the empowering
Spirit of Jesus Christ, we can follow
His example. When on the cross,
not only did our Savior forgive the
whole world but also forgave the
people who were killing Him.
FORGIVENESS IS AN ACT OF GOD.
If Jesus Christ lives in you, YOU CAN
FORGIVE, AND YOU MUST FORGIVE!

Prayer

Our Father Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven,
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who
sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil
For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the
Glory forever and ever. Amen

EXERCISE FOR PEOPLE OVER 50

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at
each side.

With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your
sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and
then relax.

Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.
After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags.

Then try 50-lb potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift
a 100-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a
full minute. (I'm at this level.)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.

AS I HAVE AGED

I would never trade my amazing friends,
my wonderful life, my loving family for
less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've
aged, I've become kinder to myself, and
less critical of myself. I've become my
own friend.. I don't chide myself for eating
that extra cookie, or for not making my
bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko
that I didn't need, but looks so avante
garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat,
to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave
this world too soon; before they understood
the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read
or play on the computer until 4 AM and
sleep until noon? I will dance with myself
to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's,
and if I, at the same time, wish to weep
over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that
is stretched over a bulging body, and will
dive into the waves with abandon if I
choose to, despite the pitying glances
from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But
there again, some of life is just as well
forgotten. And I eventually remember
the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been
broken. How can your heart not break
when you lose a loved one, or when a child
suffers, or even when somebody's beloved
pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts
are what give us strength and understanding
and compassion. A heart never broken is
pristine and sterile and will never know the
joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough
to have my hair turning gray, and to have
my youthful laughs be forever etched into
deep grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many
have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive.
You care less about what other people think.
I don't question myself anymore..
I've even earned the right to be wrong.

I like being old. It has set me free. I like the
person I have become. I am not going to live
forever, but while I am still here, I will not
waste time lamenting what could have been,
or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat
dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

AS I HAVE AGED

MY MOTHER'S TRANSLATION

Ezra had prepared his heart to seek
the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and
to teach statutes and ordinances in
Israel. —Ezra 7:10

Four pastors were discussing the
merits of the various translations of
the Bible. One liked a particular version
best because of its simple, beautiful
English. Another preferred a more
scholarly edition because it was closer
to the original Hebrew and Greek.
Still another liked a contemporary
version because of its up-to-date vocabulary.

The fourth minister was silent for a moment,
then said, "I like my mother's translation best.
" Surprised, the other three men said they
didn't know his mother had translated the Bible.
"Yes," he replied. "SHE TRANSLATED IT INTO
LIFE, AND IT WAS THE MOST CONVINCING
TRANSLATION I EVER SAW."

Instead of discussing translation preferences,
this pastor reminded them that the most important
focus should be learning God's Word and doing it.
That was the top priority of Ezra's life. As a scribe,
he studied the Law, obeyed it, and taught it to
the Israelites (Ezra 7:10). For example, God
commanded His people not to intermarry with
neighboring nations who served pagan gods (9:1-2).
Ezra confessed the nation's sin to God (9:10-12)
and corrected the people, who then repented (10:10-12).

Let's follow Ezra's example by seeking the Word
of God and translating it into life. — Anne Cetas

When we take time to read God's Word,
Our heart is filled with pleasure;
So let's relate the truth we've heard-
With others share the treasure. -Hess

The best commentary on the Bible is a person
who puts it into practice.

THE PLOT

Scripture:

TEXT: Matthew 26:3-4 - Then the chief priests
and the elders of the people assembled in the
palace of the high priest, whose name was
Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus
in some sly way and kill Him.

Reflection:

Jesus had predicted many times the journey
beginning at the Mount of Transfiguration
would end with His being handed over to the
authorities. He would suffer. He would be
crucified. On the third day He would rise again.

Those who would carry out the plan were the
religious leaders of the time. Their
understanding of when the Messiah would
come and what He would do did not include
Jesus. They saw Jesus as anyone but the
Promised One.

Their hope to be able to do the arrest on the
sly was unexpectedly made possible through
the agreement with Judas. For 30 pieces of
silver he would facilitate the arrest. The
journey that had been delayed while Jesus
was in Jerusalem was suddenly put on
"fast forward."

Many have raised questions about how these
people could want to do something so
secretive and sinister. We wonder how a
disciple could betray his rabbi. We wonder
until we reflect on our own "sly" plans.
Then we humbly praise our Lord for His
journey to Calvary and the gift of His
forgiveness.

THE PRAYER:

Forgive us, Lord, for our sly plans. Amen.

from Lutheran Hour Ministries

EXPLAIN GOD

THIS IS FABULOUS!!!

It was written by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton,
who lives in Chula Vista , CA . He wrote it for his
third grade homework assignment, to 'explain God.'
I wonder if any of us could have done as well?
[ .... and he had such an assignment, in California ,
and someone published it, I guess miracles do happen ! ]

EXPLANATION OF GOD:
'One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes
them to replace the ones that die, so there will be
enough people to take care of things on earth. He
doesn't make grownups, just babies. I think because
they are smaller and easier to make. That way he
doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching
them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to
mothers and fathers.'

'God's second most important job is listening to prayers.
An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like
preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime.
God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV
because of this. Because he hears everything, there
must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he
has thought of a way to turn it off.'

'God sees everything and hears everything and is
everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you
shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your
mom and dad's head asking for something they
said you couldn't have.'

'Atheists are people who don't believe in God.
I don't think there are any in Chula Vista ...
At least there aren't any who come to our church.'

'Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard
work, like walking on water and performing miracles
and trying to teach the people who didn't want to
learn about God.. They finally got tired of him
preaching to them and they crucified him But he
was good and kind, like his father, and he told his
father that they didn't know what they were doing
and to forgive them and God said O.K.'

'His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had
done and all his hard work on earth so he told him
he didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He
could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps
his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things
which are important for God to take care of and which
ones he can take care of himself without having to
bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.'

'You can pray anytime you want and they are sure
to help you because they got it worked out so one of
them is on duty all the time.'

'You should always go to church on Sunday because
it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want
to make happy, it's God!

Don't skip church to do something you think will be
more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And
besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until
noon anyway.'

'If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist,
you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go
everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is
good to know He's around you when you're scared,
in the dark or when you can't swim and you get
thrown into real deep water by big kids.'

'But....you shouldn't just always think of what God
can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can
take me back anytime he pleases.

And...that's why I believe in God.'

FOR I WAS HUNGRY

Scripture:

Matthew 25:34-40 (New International Version)

34"Then the King will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take
your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you
since the creation of the world. 35For I was
hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was
sick and you looked after me, I was in prison
and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you something
to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger
and invite you in, or needing clothes and
clothe you? 39When did we see you sick
or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Reflection:

I have a question for you today. Do you
want to be close to God?
In many of my Reflections, there has been a
central theme, a central thought. That is
"God is there for you" Now I'm asking you,
Do you want to be close to God? If you do,
and if its ok with you, I would like to tell you
one of the ways you can be close to God.
Jesus tells us. As a believer, when you do
something, in God's name, for some one else,
you are doing it for God, "you are close to God".
When you feed the hungry (physically/spiritually),
give a drink to the thirsty (physically/spiritually),
invite a stranger in your home, give clothing to
the poor, care for the sick (physically/spiritually),
visit someone in prison (physically/spiritually),
YOU ARE CLOSE TO GOD.
"Whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers of mine, you did for me."


Prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . . hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . . joy
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled . . . as to console
To be understood . . . as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . . that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . . that we are born to eternal life.

IN HIS PRESENCE

Scripture:

Hebrews 13:6 promises, "So that we may boldly say,
the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man
shall do unto me."

Reflection:

I recently had a friend who was in deep
need of comfort. His life was not going well
and he was extremely depressed. I talked
with him for awhile and prayed with him and
assured him that I would keep him in my
prayers.
After I finished talking with him, I began to
think and pray about his many problems.
Through my prayers God made me realize
that i was a having the same problem that
my friend was having. That is, that we both
suffer from an extreme case of anxiety.
We are both anxious about our future.
We don't know what we are going to face
this coming year.
The interesting thing is, I know one very
important reason that why neither one of
us should be anxious about the coming
year. "GOD WILL NEVER, I REPEAT,
NEVER LEAVE US!" If we are children of
God, as our Father, He will never leave us.

I believe my friend and I are worried that we
are going to face something we don't
understand, and we are going have to
face it alone.
The Bible teaches us that GOD WILL
NEVER FORSAKE US. It literally means
that He will never abandon us. He will
not give up on us.
You see what my friend, you and I need
to remember is WHEN THE DEVIL
COMES AND KNOCKS AT YOUR
HEART'S DOOR, YOU CAN SIMPLY
SAY "JESUS, PLEASE GO
ANSWER THE DOOR!"


Prayer:

Oh Lord You teach me, " Do not
be anxious about anything but
through prayer, and supplication in
thanksgiving make your requests
known to You. I DO SO NOW MY
LORD.

THE QUOTE OF THE MONTH

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:

'With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,
severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and
with the threat of bird flu, swine flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we
‎ sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

THE FAIREST

(from the Daily Bread)

Scripture:

Revelation 5:8-14
(New King James Version)

Worthy Is the Lamb

8 Now when He had taken the scroll,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell down before the Lamb, each
having a harp, and golden bowls full of
incense, which are the prayers of the
saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:


“ You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your
blood Out of every tribe and tongue and
people and nation,
10 And have made us[a] kings[b] and
priests to our God;
And we[c] shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of
many angels around the throne, the living
creatures, and the elders; and the number
of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with
a loud voice:


“ Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And every creature which is in heaven and on
the earth and under the earth and such as are in
the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:


“ Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”[d]

14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!”
And the twenty-four[e] elders fell down and
worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.[f]

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain! —Revelation 5:12


Reflection:

When I first became a Christian and started
attending church at age 19, I immediately fell
in love with singing the great hymns of the faith.
My heart overflowed with joy and thanksgiving as
we sang of God’s love for us in Christ. Soon one
of my favorite hymns (from the late 1600s) became
“Fairest Lord Jesus!” I love the simplicity of the
melody and the awesomeness of the One exalted
in these words:

Fair is the sunshine,
fairer still the moonlight,
and all the twinkling starry host: Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer than all the angels heaven can boast.
Beautiful Savior!
Lord of the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration
now and forevermore be Thine!

God’s Son, whom we sing about in this song, came
to this earth, lived a perfect life, and gave Himself for
us on the cross (Luke 23:33). He arose from the grave
(Luke 24:6) and is now seated at God’s right hand (Heb. 1:3).
One day we’ll join in worship with thousands upon thousands
and say: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him
who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
(Rev. 5:13). Maybe we’ll sing “Fairest Lord Jesus!” too.

Until then, let’s allow Jesus to be “the fairest” above all in
our personal lives by seeking wisdom from His Word and
following in His ways. — Anne Cetas

We can never praise Jesus too much.