Lent
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011The Three Days of Easter—The Paschal Triduum
The Season of Lent has come to an end. During the days of Lent we have tried to “observe a holy Lent” and to be aware of God’s presence with us—by “self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, alms-giving and by reading and meditating on the word of God.” (Book of Alternative Services—page 282)
And now, beginning with Maundy Thursday and continuing through Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter we enter into “The Paschal Triduum”—the three days of Easter. It is during this sacred time that the historical event of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus through whom we have been redeemed is most fully celebrated in the Church. These three days are the culmination of the Church Year. The worship of these three days flows together into one worship experience—a time spent with God… a time like no other. Through what we do in worship beginning on Thursday evening, we give the fullest expression to our basic identity as Christians who worship in the Anglican spiritual tradition.
Wednesday in Holy Week
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011Reading - Matthew 26: 14-25
Reflection: “If Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, why didn’t he have Judas removed? Why didn’t he turn his back on Judas?”
Jesus, in not turning Judas away from himself, reveals a God who not only desires to be with us when we do the “right” or “holy” thing, but also a God who wants to be with us in all the aspects of our lives.
In Jesus we do not find a God who desires that we reach some state of perfection before he will be with us; rather we find a God who is actually willing to work with us as we journey to the completion of who we are as human beings.
In Jesus we find a God who is not only the goal of our journey through this life, but also a God who desires to be with us as we make that journey. Our journey may at times be challenging. We may stumble and fall. We may even take a wrong turn or two along the way. Today’s reading, however, reveals a God who will not give up on us. Today we are reminded of how determined our God is to be with us and how much he wants us to be with him.
Prayer: Father, through your Son Jesus you are with me in all things. Help me to know that you are with me in my failures and mistakes as well as in my accomplishments and successes. I ask this in Jesus’ name.
Tuesday in Holy Week
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011Tuesday in Holy Week
Reading - John 13: 21-38
Reflection: We may desire to complete an important project either for ourselves or for others. We may desire to reach some goal with all our heart. All too often we can fail in our attempts. Such failure can lead to feelings of disappointment and may, at times, cause feelings of guilt.
Today we are reminded of our need to consult and include Jesus in the pursuit of our goals. We will need his strength if we are to complete the good we seek to do. We will need to be nourished by him if we are to succeed in our goals.
There may indeed have been a very good reason why the first disciples were called to spend time with Jesus before they ventured out on any mission. There may be a very good reason why Jesus cautioned Peter about trying to follow him into the passion before Jesus himself had risen from the dead. There may be a very good reason why we need to be very careful about setting goals for ourselves before we have spend sufficient time in prayer, reflection and worship in the presence of Jesus. It may be that we, like the first disciples, need to spend time with Jesus before we begin any important task.
Prayer: Father, through your Son Jesus you have revealed yourself to be the One who can bring me to completion. Help me to spend time with your Son before I begin important projects in my life. I ask this in Jesus’ name.
Monday in Holy Week
Monday, April 18th, 2011Holy Week- 2011
We begin the holiest week of the Church Year. It is the holiest because during these upcoming days the climatic events of our salvation, namely the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, will once again be made present in the way the Church remembers those events.
Monday in Holy Week
Reading - John 12:1-11
Reflection: As Jesus dines with his friends, Mary does something which only love can do. She took the most precious thing she had and spent it all on Jesus. Her love was not calculated but extravagant. Mary’s action was motivated by one thing, and one thing only, namely, her love for Jesus and her gratitude for God’s mercy. Mary was oblivious to all around her, except for Jesus. She took no thought for what others would think. We reflect on how we show Jesus our love and gratitude.
Jesus showed us the extravagance of his love in giving his life for our sake and by anointing us with his Holy Spirit in our baptism. We reflect on how we allow the love of Jesus to touch our hearts and affect our lives.
Prayer: “Give us, Lord, a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, a love of you. Take from us all lukewarmness in meditation, dullness in prayer. Give us fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace, your tender compassion towards me. The things we pray for, good Lord, give us grace to labor for: through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Prayer of Sir Thomas More)
Fifth Week of Lent
Friday, April 15th, 2011Friday - April 15, 2011
Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13 Psalm 18:2-6 John 10:31-42
Scripture Readings: I am the Son of God” John 10:36
Reflection: The scriptural understanding of consecration is to “make holy” for God – to “offer ourselves, our souls and bodies to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice unto thee” (God) BAS page 248. Jesus spoke of his Father consecrating him for his mission of salvation.
Why were the religious leaders so upset with Jesus that they wanted to kill him? They charged him with blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of God. Jesus made two claims in his response: He was consecrated by the Father to a special task and he was sent into the world to carry out his Father’s mission. Jesus challenged his opponents to accept his works if they could not accept his words. One can argue with words, but deeds are beyond argument. Jesus is the perfect teacher in that he does not base his claims on what he says but on what he does. The word of God is life and power to those who believe. Jesus shows us the way to walk the path of truth and holiness. And he anoints us with his power to live the gospel with joy and to be his witnesses in the world, to be “doers” of God’s word.
Prayer: “Write upon my heart, O Lord, the lessons of your holy word, and grant that I may be a doer of your word.”
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