Daily Mass Homily for Tuesday of Holy Week

--> Today, The Gospel predicts the betrayal of Jesus by Judas and the denial by Peter. We know that it has happened and will happen again this week, but it is only a part of a the bigger story that goes on.

Holy Week has a way of coming alive and drumming up the drama through our interpersonal relationships. The evil one becomes active and will do things to confuse us, to divide, to create ill-will, and manufacture misunderstandings, and he will be especially active in our most meaningful relationships, our community and families.

We would prefer not to do or say the things that we do, but we can recognize a larger presence among us. We think we listen, but we can question whether we really do. We may listen, but not hear. We may make snap judgments and declare ourselves to be right when really there might be more to the story than we allow ourselves to know. We think we have the right answers and that’s it. Signs that the evil one is at work. Jim Keenan always said, ‘we sin out of our strengths, not our weaknesses.’

There are a number of ways to combat the work of Satan. Here are a few suggestions. Speak less. Honor silence and the person in front of you. Smile with affection or make a gesture of caring. Give an extra attention to mercy. Listen more and ask clarifying questions. When you feel as if you must really say something, bracket it and come back to it at a future time when you have less energy. Allow for the possibility that our judgments of one another are wrong or incomplete. See this as part of the Gospel narrative where we will hurt others and deny them, as we do Christ. Ask ourselves, do we trust in the power of reconciliation? Reconciliation and mercy will retard the work of devil. It stops evil in its tracks.

The Gospel reminds us of something fundamental. We need Christ. We need a Savior. We need Jesus to go through his Passion because on our own we will mess things up. The messiness that may happen this week? It is good for us because we come to know how much we depend upon him. Christ’s Passion and Resurrection makes our life together make sense.

It is good if we remember the words of Isaiah in the first reading. The Lord knows us intimately and he calls us together as community of faith that he blesses. He is our salvation and he will make all things right.