Gospel: John 13:21-33, 36-38
Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?”
Jesus answered,
“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
“Buy what we need for the feast,”
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.
When he had left, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,
and he will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”
Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him,
“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later.”
Peter said to him,
“Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Welfare of Bridget D.
Reflection:
One of my favourite iconographies in the Holy Week processions in my mother’s hometown of Kawit, Cavite is the statue of St Peter. Garbed in green, the saint is depicted as a bald-headed old man with tears on his cheeks. During Good Friday, the carriage with his statue is the first to leave the church, leading the rest of the carriages in procession. To his side is a rooster, a reminder of what Jesus told him in today’s Gospel: “Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times.” During the Easter Sunday procession, the rooster is replaced with two keys in reference to what Jesus told him: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19).
The late Msgr Hernando Godoy, long-time parish priest of Kawit, once commented that although Peter and Judas both betrayed their Master, it was only Peter who repented and asked forgiveness. Judas took his own life without even trying to be reconciled with the Lord. We too have behaved like these two apostles. Through our sins, we have denied our relationship with Jesus. We have distanced ourselves from Him. We have failed to lay down our lives for Christ. Despite our failures and weaknesses, Jesus remains faithful and strong. He is patiently waiting for us to return to Him. St Peter once wrote “When Jesus Christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold – only it is more precious than gold, which is corruptible even though it bears testing by fire – and then you will have praise and glory and honour.” (1 Peter 1:7). Peter can do it and so can we.
- How can you lay your life for Christ this Holy Week?
- What holds you back from being reconciled with God?
- How does St Peter’s story relate to yours?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the prayers and example of St Peter, strengthen our little faith that we may become reliable witnesses of Your salvation. Amen.
Suggested Lenten penance: Pray for the conversion of all those who have turned against God.
(Pietro)
