Day 67, Luke 22
Good Day Everyone! Here we are on HOLY THURSDAY!
By the time you read this I will have gone to the Basilica in Philadelphia – St. Peter and Paul and will be with the Arch bishop — the Cardinal and All Priests of the Archdiocese for the Chrism Mass!
Get Fired UP — what a Mass to witness that sea of Men in the Army of God!
I love it!
I mentioned yesterday that I would post the same chapter again today so that we will be right in line with what is happening liturgically! This is an incredible experience to be right where Jesus is!
So please read again — pray about what else the Lord might show you and post new thoughts!
I will do the same — I will tell you right away — that I heard Father Bill Halbing preach on this today and he said that the three denials of Peter represented the three times that Jesus told him to watch — or rather Jesus told Peter three times to wake up and watch — and for each time he didn’t get up Peter denied Him!
So the point is that if we don’t have a watchful vigilant prayer life — when our faith is shaken we fall away! Everyone does!
Also I got in prayer today to really focus and WATCH what is going on over the next three days in the church. We learn about Jesus by knowing Him — experiencing Him — Jesus allows us to know and understand Him intimately during the Mass –
So WATCH and listen and experience the next few days — take it all in — and it will transform you!
Tonight — go to Holy Thursday night service — the washing of the feet and Last Supper Mass — really listen to the words and try to see Jesus in the priest! The priests recommit themselves and the oils are blessed and it is a renewal of the Priestly ministry — pray for priests today and the Eucharistic Lord!
Pray in thanksgiving for the Eucharist at the Last Supper Celebration!
Ok I’ll write more later…. pray, read and seek… and post your thoughts! God bless!
I see three overflowing points:
- Satan Entered In
- The HOUR of Suffering
- Why are YOU Sleeping?
1- Satan Entered In
So first key to realize is that as soon as we get to the Passion Narrative we see Satan enters in! We have to be mindful and watch — because the passion always means redemption and salvation and what does Satan want — death and destruction!
So we first of all have to know that when it comes to entering into the passion, where we find true blessing for our lives and those in the world that we are going to be tempted by Satan and he will enter in… how?
He enters into our thinking — into our plans and decisions — into the minds and hearts of others close to us so that they will give us some advice or offer to lead us into another direction when God’s will is right in front of us!
He will distract us through others and He knows exactly what would hurt the most — what wound you have — what past sins you have to dangle in front of you!!!
He will tell you that you are not worthy — that you are not strong enough — that you are not good enough — basically that YOU ARE NOT ENOUGH!!!!
But guess what — You are not enough alone — but see HIS GRACE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH!!!
Satan is ALONE!!! ALL ALL ALONE!!! NOT US!
We are NEVER ALONE!!! This makes Satan furious!! So he plays with our minds because he knows that there is a playing field that he can get into and take you off course -
- your ship is heading toward Jesus — Satan messes up the direction and your whole boat moves and changes direction!
Satan will make you rationalize!!! And he always leads with fear!!! So here we see Satan entering into Judas –
Why? Because he was allowed to enter — Judas had a thing about the money — didn’t like when the alabaster jar was broken and the waste of that precious money…
Now here Judas was offered money to “Hand Jesus Over” .
Judas had what they were looking for — a way to arrest Jesus without the crowd looking on — a way to accomplish this in darkness without anyone knowing what they were doing —
Don’t we also sin in darkness –
- think of the man or woman who commits adultery — isn’t that done usually in secret — a trade for apparent goods -needs they have-
- what two people think is good but is really death and destruction for them and also for others…
or what about Gossip — that is not done in front of the person being discussed — it is birthed out of anger, jealously, envy, pride –
- feels good to get that off your chest and tell someone — but with a good conscience you should feel bad pretty soon after the deed is done!
WE can learn alot here about what happens — as soon as you enter into a work that has souls attached to it you will come across difficulties and temptation –
that work would be living the Gospel every day and following the commandments —not some huge special work — day to day Christian living —
and so you have to listen to Jesus’ words to Peter — YOU are thinking as humans do not as God does!!
Resist the devil and He will flee as St James tells us!!! And be the vigilant and faithful servants that were prepared with loins girded ( mind guarded with belt of truth) and with lamps lit (the fire of the Holy Spirit) and wait and watch for the Master to come and knock -
- DO NOT LET THE Enemy in! You do not know the HOUR — so be prepared!
2- The HOUR of Suffering
There is something very significant about the HOUR — Jesus says to the Blessed Mother –my hour has not yet come — and you see now that He is referring to when He would make water turn into wine — when He would make all things new!
We see at the last supper it reads…
“When the HOUR came, He took His place at table with the apostles”
Jesus says… “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer…
for I tell you, I shall not eat it again until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
Have you ever tried to fast — not eat for a day — and you are doing well all day but by 3pm you really start getting hungry — and maybe you even pray — God help me not to eat this food — I really wanted to fast all day and do it for the salvation of souls —
However in that fast was a test — to see if you really could do it — and you are able to see how strong you are -or how weak you are- and see the grace you have received — but only when you step out in faith and try!
Well this was Jesus in the HOUR when His mission of redemption and the salvation of souls took place — He ate — and then there was not to be this meal or the cup of the fruit of the vine until salvation was complete –
So what is happening in that HOUR in the Garden — the Agony — Jesus being crushed — placed on Him was now the sins of the WORLD!!!
IF Jesus drinks the cup — then it is over — He won’t get to the cross — and so He prays that it be God’s will that the cup can pass and He can go to Calvary –
Many people think that Jesus was being human at that point — He was showing us that we are going to have moments like that -
- NO — Jesus was showing us that we are going to have moments when we pray that we can handle the suffering to go all the way and offer it for the sins of the world — and we might not have the strength to follow through —
Did you see the angel there to strengthen Him — that is the example to pray for our angels to be at our sides — I mean we have been given all we need! And Jesus’ great example….
…to stay in that spiritual place where we continue in God’s grace to follow Him and not abandon our crosses when the going gets tough! Jesus is our example to keep praying to go all the way to Calvary when your HOUR of suffering comes!
NO HOUR of Suffering no HOUR of GLORY!! NO pain no gain!! Just as in the natural — so much more in the spiritual!
THE HOUR — this only happens where we can be like Jesus and ask to go all the way with God — when we are prepared for the HOUR!! How do we prepare?
WE make HOLY HOURS!! We as Catholics should really be praying at least ONE HOUR a day! That can be scriptures for 20 min to 1/2 hour — rosary — silence — devotional prayer –
Every time we pray an hour we prepare for the HOUR when Jesus suffering comes to us for salvation of souls — the Hour of death — is a great hour of suffering that we must be prepared for — and we too like Jesus can say that we don’t want to eat or drink again until we enter the kingdom of God and enjoy it in the Kingdom –
that by the way is how many worldly ways can be put aside — knowing that you will have more than what you have given up in the Kingdom of God — that is redemptive sacrifice!
Now one last thing about this — a good priest reminded me one day when I was suffering and being tested and tempted to think as humans do — big time—
He told me about the story of JOB in the Old Testament — but not just the story — what happens in the first three chapters… that Satan says to God..
Well first God says… in Job 1:8
“Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?”
THEN Satan says to God…
“Is it for nothing that Job is God – fearing? Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? Put forth your hand and touch anything that he has, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face.”
So God allows Satan to do whatever he wants to tempt Job to curse God — as long as he doesn’t take Job’s life he can take anything else!
Job passes the test — and you should read Job — all that he went through in 42 chapters!
So do you see? It is not about all that Job went through — although good to read if you think you are going though tough times –
It is about the fact that there is a test going on to prove you faithful!!! Satan enters in and God allows things to be shaken in our lives to get to the truth about our faith!!!
Don’t worry about everyone else and the state of their faith!!! Pray for them but focus in!!!
Where do you stand??? When things don’t go your way and you are suffering — are you able to offer that up to Jesus and unite it to His HOUR of suffering and agony?
Or do you cry uncle I’ll take the cup now and have it be over — it is OK if you do because we are all on our way to being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect –
Are we fully awake and waiting ready to open the door when our Master the Lord knocks?
Do we praise God in all things even when suffering comes to our door — and say like Job did
”naked I came into this world and naked I will go out”
But don’t go out without a fight — and that fight is the fight to stay AWAKE!!!
3- Why are YOU Sleeping?
Ok so this is the question of the Century!!! You see Jesus knows why so many are sleeping.
Read Romans Chapter 11 “The Remnant of Israel”
“God gave them a spirit of deep sleep, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, down to this very day.”
This was what was spoken to Elijah the prophet when he was telling God that there was no one left!!! God said that He had saved 7,000 men chosen by grace!
My dear friends if you are reading this right now it is BY GRACE and you have been chosen to be the remnant of God!
So why are you sleeping? What makes us sleep? Oh I mean spiritually by the way! The natural sleep is just an example of what it is like to be spiritually asleep!
That is why in some of the healing the people looked dead and Jesus said they are asleep — they might have been physically dead by they were also spiritually asleep and when Jesus woke them up spiritually they became fully awake and that effected their body too!
So what made Peter and the boys sleep? In the Transfiguration Peter was overcome with sleep right before the Glory of the Lord showed up!
Have you ever noticed that when something really big is going to happen that people get overwhelmed? Fear kicks in and doubt and it paralyzes you –
- and you might not do what the Lord is calling you to do — whether it is to be at a meeting or to go pray — whatever it is!
HOW many people do you know who say — I think I had a call to be a priest or a nun and never did anything about it? They were overcome by sleep!
And here we see that Peter’s sleep is about grief! Wow — sorrow can put us in a deep sleep if not directed and given to Jesus! So we must let go!
These guys were supposed to be praying as Jesus told them and they couldn’t stop thinking about Jesus leaving — dying — maybe fear about their own lives — but no matter what life as they knew it would never be the same again –
- the three years together — the Wedding at Cana — the feeding of the 4,000 and the 5,000 — the lepers and the lame — the demons cast into the pigs and into the water — that was wild — the man with the withered hand, the paralytic, the woman with affliction, the little children healed – calming of the storm — firing up the Pharisees in the field on the sabbath -
- Peter thinking about … when He called me the rock, when He called me to walk on water, when He called me to cast my net and we caught all those fish, when He called me to be a fisher of men, when He told me He would build His church on me, when He gave me the keys of the kingdom, when He told me that the gates of the netherworld would not prevail against me and that whatever I bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever I loose on earth will be loosed in heaven, when He said this is my Body and Blood which will be poured out for me, when He said He would have to suffer –
This is the hour — a lot to distract Peter and the boys — a lot to be overwhelmed by – the thought… can I go all the way with Jesus — I said I would but — can I follow through?
Were they really prepared? Jesus tells Peter — and He calls him Simon here –
“ Simon, Simon (two times) behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat,
OK that sounds like Satan and God over JOB!!!! Satan demands?
Jesus says — “But I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and that once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers”
Praise the Lord that we can go to Jesus — and He is still praying for us when we go through the tests of faith that happen continually — little fires of testing and purifying — EVERY DAY!!
Peter turned around alright and He is still going strong after 2000 years in the chair of Peter the Pope! WE have now had 266 Popes who have succeeded Peter and still going strong!
Because Jesus is Alive and Leading the Church through Peter — so Jesus continues to pray for him!
Even though Peter says that he is prepared
”Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.”
Jesus still tells him that he will deny Jesus — exactly the number of times and the exact time!
Jesus knows all — He knows our sin He knows the ways we deny Him and will deny Him! He still loves us — He still has plans for us — to turn around and strenthen the others — learn and grow and assist others to see His light!
Not like Judas who could not get past his own sin and took the weak route — taking his life into his own hands… NO put your life with your sins in the Master’s hands –
Make sure with only today Wednesday left before Holy Thursday and Good Friday that you get to Confession and turn around — become fully awake in the Light of Mercy!!
In Philadelphia the Cardinal called for a Wednesday night Confession hour at every single church in the diocese — check it out and what a great way to go into Holy Thursday!!! Wherever you live if you didn’t get to Confession — call the Church!
The Priest will be blessed by your call!! They are all called to Confession and provided that they are available and not ministering anywhere else they should be happy to hear Confession!
Get fired up with the Light of Christ and be fully focused and fully awake — to go all the way to Calvary — don’t miss a word that is said in the liturgical services — take in the smells the sounds the experiences and you will be ready for His Glory on Easter Sunday when He rises!
Also — Divine Mercy Novena starts on Friday — I am hoping to have that Novena going here on this site as well!
Here’s to the KING OF MERCY!! The Church is built on forgiveness! Get fired up!
Please share — we grow together as one when you add your insights — there is too much here for one person to distribute so dig in and share what you saw!
ONE last note about these postings for the Holy Days!
Please Read!
Do you see how we are ending up exactly where God wants us to be???
This is what we will do through Easter — We will have this Chapter to read 22 again for Holy Thursday — so I will re post and maybe with other thoughts — maybe jus this and we keep posting what we receive–
Friday I will post Chapter 23 and we will study this chapter for Friday and Saturday!!!
Then Sunday we will have a new Post with Chapter 24 the Resurrection!!!
So this is so absolutely perfect because we have so much here to contemplate that we need to slow down and take it in with time to reflect and pray!
Any questions please let me know!
God bless you all!
