Today\u2019s Gospel reading reveals the depths of divine love through Jesus\u2019 suffering and sacrifice. This passage is enormously long! As we stand to listen to the Gospel proclaimed during Mass, you may feel your knees buckle a little or your back begin to ache. Small children in the pews will fiddle and whine. Altar servers\u2019 arms will grow tired from holding their candles. You will also feel your heart break as we recall Jesus’ pain and suffering, our contribution to His pain, and the profundity of His love for us.<\/p>\n
The physical discomfort that you\u2019ll likely experience at Mass today is part of the genius of the Catholic liturgy. The twinges of pain or discomfort that we experience while listening to Matthew\u2019s account of the Passover meal, Jesus\u2019 agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, his trial, passion, death, and burial, is part of the point. We may offer our discomfort as a miniscule, participation in Jesus\u2019 crucible ordeal. By the mere act of standing for the Gospel, we may draw closer to Jesus\u2019 cross and understand his profligate and sacrificial love for us more fully.<\/p>\n
Entering into Holy Week, we have just a few more days to rededicate ourselves to our Lenten penances, mortifications, and fasts, to get to confession, and to prepare our hearts for Easter. Throughout Lent, and especially as we listen to today\u2019s Gospel, our hearts are filled with compassion and gratitude for Jesus\u2019 suffering. Our Lenten offerings may not have been easy, as suffering rarely is, but our physical work truly prepares our hearts and souls to receive all that Jesus offers us.<\/p>\n
Though today\u2019s Gospel passage is full of trials, Jesus, as a deliberate and loving participant in humanity\u2019s redemption, also reminds us of God\u2019s goodness. Jesus promises us that goodness prevails. During the Passover meal, Jesus gives the disciples His body and blood. And on the cross He offers that same body and blood in death for the salvation of all.<\/p>\n
As the baptized Christians, we participate sacramentally in Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection. Entering into the waters of baptism, we die to sin, and emerging, we rise incorporated into Jesus\u2019 divine sonship. This is a sonship whereby we participate in the life of Jesus eternally. We know that without the cross there is no resurrection. Rather than avoid suffering this week, let us unite our sufferings to Jesus and prepare our hearts for Easter\u2019s victory over death and the opening of the promise of heaven.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Elizabeth Tomlin<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Reflection provided by diocesan.com. Reprinted with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Week to Feel His Profound Love Today\u2019s Gospel reading reveals the depths of divine love through Jesus\u2019 suffering and sacrifice. This passage is enormously long! As we stand to listen to the Gospel proclaimed during Mass, you may feel your knees buckle a little or your back begin to ache. Small children in the pews will fiddle and whine. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-reflections"],"yoast_head":"\n