Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

One of the themes we encounter in today's readings is the theme of trial.We have many trials throughout our lives. All of us suffer. One of the messages of the Cross is that such trials need not be fruitless, but can be transformed through Jesus' suffering love. In today's Gospel reading, we find Jesus explaining to His disciples about His passion and death. Mark's Gospel mentions, however, that, "they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him." Their fear probably had something to do with death. The Gospels depict the disciples as not grasping the full implications of Jesus being the Messiah. They do not always appear in the Gospels to understand that Jesus was to be a suffering Messiah. Once Jesus is arrested, the disciples flee. They don't want to be associated with Him, probably out of fear that they might have to suffer a similar fate.

In today's first reading from the Book of Sirach, we encounter the command,"prepare yourself for trials." Sirach compares sufferings to the purifying of gold and precious metals. As precious metals are purified by fire in the crucible, so we too are purified through the testing of trials. Tomorrow begins the season of Lent. Lent is a tremendous opporunity to grow through the little mortifications we take on as a community of believers.Let us embark on this Lenten journey together, with our eyes firmly fixed on the Easter joy at the end of Lent.

Let us begin this long pilgrimage to Easter together, knowing that the sufferings and Trials of Lent are microcosmic reflections of the sufferings of our lives, and that the Easterjoy we celebrate at the end of the season, is an anticipation of the heavenly joy we will celebrate at the end of our pilgrimage in this life.

- Jeff Morrow