A message from Father Pete

Isaiah  50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47 Today we hear two Gospel readings. The first precedes the Blessing of the Palms and makes note of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem where, in a few short days, He will be crucified. The second reading is the passion narrative according to Mark. This is the oldest passion account in existence. Scripture scholars maintain that this version is very close to the original event. Isaiah’s account of the last of four “Suffering Servant” prophecies [Isaiah 52:13-53:12] is a wonderful reading to help understand the depth and beauty of this passage. The early church identified the suffering servant to be a type of the suffering Jesus. Jesus died to show us God’s total, unconditional love. He died for every person’s salvation. Many of Jesus’ contemporaries expected the Messiah to be a military conquerer who would free Israel from Roman domination. But Jesus did not come into Jerusalem riding a horse, the preferred mount of kings during war; he ca...

Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33 Have I ever made an agreement with anyone? The first agreement I made was when I signed my name on a contract to buy my first new car. I was a deacon in the seminary, months away from ordination. A salesman came to the seminary and brought a few cars to entice us. After I signed my first thought was, would I be able to afford the monthly payments? My excitement over getting my first car waned as I realized how much it would cost to keep it up. One of the professors compared “our signed agreements” to the covenant God made with the people in the Old Testament. I didn’t like the comparison. It was hard work keeping up the payments as it was hard work for the Israelites. So many times they reneged. I never did. I learned another life lesson. The Israelites were being taught life lessons in preparation, as a people, for the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. The final covenant was the cross of Christ on Calvary. Have I ever looked at what Christ...

2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-21; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21 When I reflect on my life, I see time and time again that I have reneged in my faithfulness to the Lord. Why is that so? I wanted to do it my way … or I thought the Church was not up with the times … or I was just lazy and didn’t subscribe to the Lord’s way … or I misunderstood the presence and love the Lord has for me. I find that I really need this Lenten season each year to slow myself down and refocus my attention on the Lord and His consistent mercy and love for me and for all. This isn’t easy to do, because slowing myself down, being quiet and listening lead to distractions. I’m sure this happens to many of you as it did to the people in today’s readings. The two books of Chronicles originally were meant to be a supplement to Samuel and Kings. They bridge, in some detail, the time from the reign of Solomon to the return from the Babylonian Exile. Israel’s political greatness has developed into a thing of the past. Rathe...

Exodus  20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25 Three weeks from today is the Feast of Palm Sunday, beginning the holiest week of the year. Holy Week features Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday and culminates with Easter Sunday, the most important feast of our faith. How much does Jesus love me … love you? Early in His ministry Jesus directed His answer to this question to Nicodemus. This man was an important Pharisee, most likely a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest council of the Jewish courts with 71 judges who acted as the Supreme Court. Jesus explained His love, God’s love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” [John 3:16] Since God totally loves me, how do I go about responding to His love? The Gospel shows how Jesus reacts to those who disregard God and live life just for themselves. In the first reading, Moses responds to the people by delivering by Ten Comm...