Tuesday of Holy Week
It’s been a long, long winter. Just when I think we have turned to corner, I’m reminded that we’ve still got a ways to go. I can hardly think of a better sentiment for Holy Week. We are nearing the end of a long Lenten season, but we still have a ways to go. As we take our last steps toward the Paschal mystery, it seems appropriate to both reflect on the journey and remain mindful of the distance still before us.
The first reading, from the prophet Isaiah, illustrates the power of constancy. I was most struck by the passage: "Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength. Yet my reward is with the Lord, My recompense is with God."
Often, Lent can feel like “toil in vain,” an often inconvenient and “useless” exercise. Yet, Isaiah reminds us that our reward is with God. Even when, especially when, it feels like we have sacrificed for nothing, our constancy generates growth and holy recompense.
The second reading, from the gospel of John, illustrates the importance of persevering, even in, especially in, our moments of misapprehension. I consistently find the juxtaposition of Judas and Peter to be one of the most interesting motifs in the gospels. Both, in a fashion, betray Jesus. Judas by the evil he commits. Peter by the commitments he does not keep. The beauty of these passages is that Jesus assures Peter, prior to his failure. “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later.”
Of course, Peter responds with a promise he does not keep. Yet, in those bitter moments, after the rooster crowed, Peter may have recalled this assurance. It may have given him the strength to preserve and “follow later.”
Our toil has not been in vain. Neither should our failures crush our spirit. Constancy and perseverance sustain us. Not only in the reward that validates our sacrifices but also the assurance that we will “follow later” in even our darkest moments.
Today, let us ponder in our hearts how we are sustained in our journey.
Adam Sheridan