TUESDAY MARCH, 26, 2024
TUESDAY OF THE HOLY WEEK YEAR B
Isaiah 49:1-6
John 13:21-33. 36-38
LIVING FOR GOD’S GLORY: JESUS OUR MODEL
It appears even confusing to us that Jesus after recognizing and telling about his impending suffering and obvious cruel death on the cross, he speaks of these as “the son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified.”
Jesus did not see his death as a tragedy or an unfortunate event or even as a sorrowful or hurtful event, but only as giving glory to God.
Notwithstanding that Jesus knows that he came for this reason to redeem mankind, to die, and to suffer the agony of the cross. So, He understands the mission that God the Father assigned to him in order to redeem humanity. And he sees through this and says it is giving glory to God.
Even when he is very conversant with the person who will betray him and he knows those that will forsake, deny and abandon him, and this also he recounts to his disciples that night. That he will be betrayed by his closest associate and disciple, and that those same people closest to him will deny him in his greatest moments of needs, the moment of his suffering, death and agony. And Jesus took it all with calmness and total resignation. This is nothing but divine wisdom and supernatural attitude.
Our human inclination cannot at all allow such. That we perceive an enemy already, the best reactions should have been either confrontational and total retaliation which is associated with hatred, resentment, anger, animosity and even malice.
But that was not so with Jesus. Rather, he offered it up to God as God’s glory and for fulfillment of Divine designs. And he gave in to it. It is so because, Jesus sees it with the spiritual and supernatural eyes of faith and trust in God.
For in the prophet Isaiah, he has already seen his life as a libation, a sacrifice and more a light to the nation. For Jesus he sees himself like a candle light and as such, he evidences that the candle wax burns itself to provide light for the people. And as wax or oil, these are consumed before light can be produced. Without it burning, it cannot give light.
So it is with Jesus’ life and redeeming action. He has to die for life to spring up. And that is why he sees it as God’s glory.
Likewise, in our human experience, a mother giving birth to children, will first die for the child to be born. A father taking care of his family will have to give up his comfort and pleasure for the life and well-being of his family.
Jesus teaches us by his attitude in the face of suffering, agony and death to arm ourselves with supernatural reasons and intentions in life. And to be of good cheer and nurse holy thought and aspirations. There is no need to become too human and try to avoid moments that are intended to bring us spiritual growth especially in the faces of discomforts, sufferings, and people trampling on our rights, or hurts inflicted upon us, or when we are denied of our basic rights and when people deny us, hurt us or even disrespect us. We must live above human attitudes of resentments, anger, animosity, and offer any situation that we may not understand readily to God our father as situations of God’s glory. Always remember that after rain comes sun and nothing stays forever.
God our Father, in the face of trials, agony and suffering arising from family, friends and colleagues circles, grant that we may look beyond all that we experience and see more the gains thereafter. May we never dwell on our pains or on those immediate causes of these pains. May we look up to you, our God for strength to overcome, for fortitude to persevere, for forgiveness to administer and to await the glory it will bring at last through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
