Gospel Reflections for Challenging Times

  Holy Thursday Gospel – John 13:1-15 Celebration of the Last Supper Mass at Gethsemane Growing up, we always had a lot of big family dinners – birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter Sunday.   Gatherings that one single table could never accommodate.   So the adults ate at the dining room table and all the kids ate in the kitchen.   Kids table / adults table – I’m guessing all of you had something similar.   And all that time, I had this desire to MOVE UP – to graduate to the adult table.   I think in the back of my mind I thought the food would be better, that the menu would be somehow different.   Not so much!   I think most of us had the same experience with First Communion.   All that time beforehand, we just couldn’t wait til the day of our First Communion.   We were so excited to not just attend Mass but receive Communion, the Eucharist, to not just gather around the table of the Lord, but share in the meal! ...

  Wednesday of Holy Week First Reading – Isaiah 50:4-9 A Wise Man Once Said….. The Cenacle, Site of the Last Supper The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,      so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me      and opens my understanding to his will.   The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me,      and I have listened.      I have not rebelled or turned away. I thought today we could switch things up and reflect a bit on the first reading from Isaiah.   The key word here is WISDOM!   It is the one of what is called the Servant Songs in Isaiah and offers a foreshadowing of Jesus in its verses.   It reflects on a Servant who not only hears but speaks the Word of God and shares His words of Wisdom!   He hears the Word and welcomes it; he does not shy away from it or reject it.   It speaks of a man who is both teacher an...

  Tuesday of Holy Week     Gospel – John 13:21-33, 36-38 A Web of Betrayal Peter’s Denial – Church of St. Peter Gallicantu This is NOT an easy Gospel to read, much less pray over.   Betrayal!   Denial!   We see people at their worst, their lowest.   Judas turning his back on Jesus, slinking around in the shadows, in the dead of night, betraying Jesus in secret, all for a bag of money.   Peter , in the light of a charcoal fire, publicly denying he even knows Jesus, not once but 3 separate times.   Judas betraying Jesus in secret by his actions and Peter denying Jesus by his words in public! If we are truly honest with ourselves, we have all had moments of turning our back on Jesus, moments when we are uncomfortable with proclaiming or living up to our faith, moments when we took the easy way out.   And what does that say about us – that we are human, fragile, fallible, that we all, at times, stumble and fall.   Jud...

  Monday of Holy Week Gospel - John 12:1-11 We Gather Together Mass in the Cave, Bethlehem When Ginger and I first started dating, I remember the first 2 times I invited her over to my apartment for dinner.   It did not go well!   The first time, I splurged and served her 2 cans of delicious ‘beefaroni’!   Ever since that item has been banned from our home J   Lesson learned!   So the second time I pulled out all the stops and bought some fresh meat and veggies from the store!   I was so proud, at least until she arrived and I proceeded to show her the items and asked her to cook them.   Ouch!   Meals have certainly gotten better over the years.   And yet, whether we are out for a date night or home for dinner (even if the dumplings are as hard as a rock or the steak was burned to a crisp), I (we) realize that it isn’t about the food – it’s about the company!   Especially if, even now, we can still laugh about all ou...

  Palm Sunday Gospel – Mark 11:1-10 Gospel – Mark 14:1 – 15:47 Something Better Is Coming Razzouk’s, Old City of Jerusalem We took our latest pilgrimage to the Holy Land just a bit over a year ago.   In many ways, it was probably also our last trip.   So we prepared accordingly!   I wanted to make this journey extra special and memorable; so I did a lot of research, came up with a plan and shared it with my fellow travelers.   Some thought I was crazy and some immediately signed on to join me in the venture. So what did I do?    I got a tattoo!!! But not just any tattoo shop.   It turns out that the oldest shop in the world is in the Old City in Jerusalem – Razzouk’s!   And what a history!   It has been in operation for over 700 years, in Jerusalem for over 500 years.   And throughout all those years, it has been the same family – 27 generations of the Razzouk family, with Wassim as the current owner.   Wher...