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Gospel of John 13:21-33, 36-38
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.”
Wake Up Grumpy Do you ever wake up in a foul mood? You don't want to get out of bed, get dressed and go to work. Just the sound of that alarm clock going "beep, beep, beep" makes your ears scream. You're ticked off at the world: Living another day of stress and anxiety is too much to handle! Maybe your kids drive you nuts. Your husband or wife is a pain. Your job is not only boring but dead end. Bills are mounting without any decent salary coming in. You're over-worked and under-employed. You're sick physically and emotionally. You just can't cope with it anymore. You may even deny God's existence.
Here we are at the beginning of Holy Week, and I'm stressed out beyond measure. I woke up in a terrible mood that's lasted most of the day. I'm suffering from severe Spring allergies which makes me irritable and sleepless. My mind is running non-stop with a laundry list of "crap" I need to do. Yet, I'm so foggy headed with anti-histamines and not enough food. (When I feel like trash, I lose my appetite.) It's difficult for me to focus on the "reason for the Holy season" in my current mental state. Throughout the day, I've tried praying but can't focus. I almost feel like I'm Peter denying Christ! Our Lord is here sitting right beside me as I type this meditation. He understands what I'm going through. I just need to take that courageous step, push away the negative thoughts, and snuggle up to the thematic beat of Jesus' Sacred Heart.
Tears flow I'm embarrassed to admit this but at lunch today I just sobbed, gut wrenching sobs! I feel like I'm such a failure in many ways. There are days when I easily connect to God completely and whole. Other days I feel like the Devil takes control of my thoughts and feelings. Satan knows Holy Week is here, so he's changing all the stop lights to red. His intention is for me to obsess over every little thing wrong about my life. He'd love it if I stop writing my meditations, stop praying, and drop out of my Easter Triduum duties. He thrives when I get angry, envious, resentful, and concerned about things that really don't matter. It's Jesus Christ that matters and not all of the "stuff" I worry about constantly.
Don't deny Christ All of us as Christians should be prepared to lay down our life for Jesus Christ. Let us NOT turn into Peter and deny Jesus three times infinity. Even days when we are down on ourselves (and the pity-party engages in a drunken orgy of sadness, tears, and woe-is-me's) we must remember Jesus on the cross. He suffered tremendous ridicule, pain and anguish. Our daily struggles are nothing compared to the hardship and misery Jesus experienced at the crucifixion. The merciful Lord was scourged, beaten, cursed at, spit at, and nailed naked onto a large wooden cross. He was an innocent man convicted of an invisible "crime." His crucifixion was the result of jealousy, hate, and fear. When we deny Christ, we become another Judas, Pharisee, scribe, chief priest, or member of the Sanhedrin.
Do we want to spend the rest of our life in denial of Christ's divinity with no hope of joy in heaven? Do we want to spend the rest of our life in intense pain and suffering because we're over-consumed with self pity?
We all have bad days and good days. We all experience confusion and anxiety. We all at one time or another think, "God can't be for real! My life is such a mess. I can't see any way out of it." All it takes is a change of thinking and a positive outlook. Things will work out. Be thankful for our blessings and for LIFE!
Even though I'm having an emotional day I know it will pass. I will feel better tomorrow. It's impossible for me to completely deny Christ. I can feel his love inside my heart! He warms my heart with his tremendous love and mercy. He will never abandon me in my time of need.
-J.
Tears flow I'm embarrassed to admit this but at lunch today I just sobbed, gut wrenching sobs! I feel like I'm such a failure in many ways. There are days when I easily connect to God completely and whole. Other days I feel like the Devil takes control of my thoughts and feelings. Satan knows Holy Week is here, so he's changing all the stop lights to red. His intention is for me to obsess over every little thing wrong about my life. He'd love it if I stop writing my meditations, stop praying, and drop out of my Easter Triduum duties. He thrives when I get angry, envious, resentful, and concerned about things that really don't matter. It's Jesus Christ that matters and not all of the "stuff" I worry about constantly.
Don't deny Christ All of us as Christians should be prepared to lay down our life for Jesus Christ. Let us NOT turn into Peter and deny Jesus three times infinity. Even days when we are down on ourselves (and the pity-party engages in a drunken orgy of sadness, tears, and woe-is-me's) we must remember Jesus on the cross. He suffered tremendous ridicule, pain and anguish. Our daily struggles are nothing compared to the hardship and misery Jesus experienced at the crucifixion. The merciful Lord was scourged, beaten, cursed at, spit at, and nailed naked onto a large wooden cross. He was an innocent man convicted of an invisible "crime." His crucifixion was the result of jealousy, hate, and fear. When we deny Christ, we become another Judas, Pharisee, scribe, chief priest, or member of the Sanhedrin.
Do we want to spend the rest of our life in denial of Christ's divinity with no hope of joy in heaven? Do we want to spend the rest of our life in intense pain and suffering because we're over-consumed with self pity?
We all have bad days and good days. We all experience confusion and anxiety. We all at one time or another think, "God can't be for real! My life is such a mess. I can't see any way out of it." All it takes is a change of thinking and a positive outlook. Things will work out. Be thankful for our blessings and for LIFE!
Even though I'm having an emotional day I know it will pass. I will feel better tomorrow. It's impossible for me to completely deny Christ. I can feel his love inside my heart! He warms my heart with his tremendous love and mercy. He will never abandon me in my time of need.
-J.
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