The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our sense of mission for our lives and our willingness to accept Jesus Way.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah describes the Suffering Servant’s Mission.
* [49:1–7] The second of the four “servant of the Lord” oracles (cf. note on 42:1–4).
* [49:1] Gave me my name: designated me for a special task or mission (cf. Jer 1:5).
* [49:3] Israel: the servant is identified with the people of Israel as their ideal representative; however, vv. 5–6 seem to distinguish the servant from Israel.
* [49:6] The servant’s vocation extends beyond the restoration of Israel in order to bring the knowledge of Israel’s God to the rest of the earth; cf. Lk 2:32. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 49 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 71 is a prayer for Lifelong Protection and Help.
* [Psalm 71] A lament of an old person (Ps 71:9, 18) whose afflictions are interpreted by enemies as a divine judgment (Ps 71:11). The first part of the Psalm pleads for help (Ps 71:1–4) on the basis of a hope learned from a lifetime’s experience of God; the second part describes the menace (Ps 71:9–13) yet remains buoyant (Ps 71:14–16); the third develops the theme of hope and praise. (Psalms, PSALM 71 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus foretells His Betrayal and Peter’s Denial.
* [13:23] The one whom Jesus loved: also mentioned in Jn 19:26; 20:2; 21:7. A disciple, called “another disciple” or “the other disciple,” is mentioned in Jn 18:15 and Jn 20:2; in the latter reference he is identified with the disciple whom Jesus loved. There is also an unnamed disciple in Jn 1:35–40; see note on Jn 1:37.
* [13:26] Morsel: probably the bitter herb dipped in salt water.
* [13:31–17:26] Two farewell discourses and a prayer. These seem to be Johannine compositions, including sayings of Jesus at the Last Supper and on other occasions, modeled on similar farewell discourses in Greek literature and the Old Testament (of Moses, Joshua, David).
* [13:31–38] Introduction: departure and return. Terms of coming and going predominate. These verses form an introduction to the last discourse of Jesus, which extends through Jn 14–17. In it John has collected Jesus’ words to his own (Jn 13:1). There are indications that several speeches have been fused together, e.g., in Jn 14:31 and Jn 17:1. (John, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)
Mirielle Mason asks how many of us have failed to heed God’s call in our own lives?
I know I have been feeling that way lately because my Lent has not been going the way I hoped. The lofty goals I set for myself on Ash Wednesday seem to have fallen by the wayside. Feeling like couldn’t keep my own promises to God, I went to confession this week (at the time I am writing this, it is several weeks before Easter), and was reminded of the depth and beauty of God’s forgiveness. As he forgave Peter for his transgressions, so he forgives ours. If you haven’t been to confession in while, I might encourage the reader to go. Embrace the new start that confession provides, no matter when it comes in your Lenten or yearly journey. May God bless you all on your paths. (Mason, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Fight sin and put up with trials,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Your first task is to be dissatisfied with yourself, fight sin, and transform yourself into something better. Your second task is to put up with the trials and temptations of this world that will be brought on by the change in your life and to persevere to the very end in the midst of these things." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 59,5) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 13:21-33, 36-38 comments that though Peter denied Jesus when it mattered most, he better understood Jesus’ nature and what he had come to do. He saw Jesus not just as a friend and teacher but as the Messiah, the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). And so, confronted by his own weakness, Peter still managed to hold onto hope.
Jesus knew all along who Peter could become. And that’s a message of hope for all of us. Like Peter, we, too, face situations when we deny and fail Jesus. But Jesus offers hope and possibility to each of us, just as he did for Peter. He asks, “Will you lay down your life for me?” Because of Peter’s example, we can answer yes with great hope. No matter our struggle and sins, Jesus is always ready to restore us and make us whole.
“Jesus, I offer you all that I am, even my weaknesses. Lord, I trust in your unfailing love!” (Meditation on John 13:21-33, 36-38, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes how the song of the suffering servant in Isaiah seeks to be a polished arrow or a sharp sword of meekness and gentleness in the mission assigned by God. The ambiguity of the identity of Jesus betrayer in the synoptic Gospels is replaced by the identification of Judas Iscariot in a dualistic choice between light and dark. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus' hour of glory on the Cross as the outpouring of Love.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, explains the Hebrew scapegoat ritual and how the pattern continues to play out in secular contexts today. Many Christians, with utter irony, worshiped Jesus the Scapegoat on Sundays and, on the other six days of the week, made scapegoats of Jews, Muslims, other Christian denominations, heretics, sinners, pagans, the poor, and almost anybody who was not like themselves.
Scapegoating depends upon a rather sophisticated, but easily learned, ability to compartmentalize, to separate, to divide the world into the pure and the impure. Anthropologically, all religion begins with the creation of the “impure.” Very soon an entire moral system emerges, with taboos, punishments, fears, guilts, and even a priesthood to enforce it. It gives us a sense of order, control, and superiority, which is exactly what the ego wants and the small self demands.
The religious genius of Jesus is that he utterly refuses all debt codes, purity codes, and the searching for sinners. He refuses to divide the world into the pure and the impure, much to the chagrin of almost everybody—then and now. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the mission we have been offered in our life and seek the help of the Spirit to recover from our denials and to continue in humility and love.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 49 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/49?1
John, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/13?21
Mason, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/032624.html
Meditation on John 13:21-33, 36-38. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/03/26/921244/
Psalms, PSALM 71 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/71?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Scapegoating Then and Now. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/scapegoating-then-and-now/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=mar26
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