Daily Gospel Reflection for April 30, 2015

Today's Gospel: John 13:16-20

Optional Memorial of Saint Pius V, Pope

Christ loved us and gave himself to those around him unconditionally, knowing full well that he would be betrayed. But he had a mission to do by his Father, “the one who sent me.” How many times have we wished we knew what was going to happen before it did? But alas, we cannot see into the future; we are not in charge. Christ is revealing to his followers that he was in charge and that he was going to let them in on what was to happen so that they would be convinced of who he is: the “I AM.” In Exodus, God revealed himself to Moses as “I Am who I AM” (Ex 3:14), and Christ is describing himself as I AM to let his disciples know he was the God of Moses, one and the same in the flesh.

But there’s one person in the room Jesus is not speaking to. Can you guess who it is? Yes, yes, it’s Judas Iscariot, who will be the one who betrayed Our Lord for 30 pieces of silver. Money is the root of all evil, and we all know what happens next. Judas hangs himself in total despair of what he did and what he had become. A person doesn’t commit suicide with hope; it is the complete lack of hope and the inability to see hope in the future. Christ came to save us, to forgive us, cleanse our hearts and souls, and to give us hope. He is the “I AM who I AM,” and he humbled himself for man so as to reveal the perfection of his heavenly power in a way inconceivable and amazing.

Christ’s humbleness revealed his greatness and, as he put it perfectly, “No slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.” For our God, the creator of all things, to wash the feet of his followers, for the God all to give himself to be among the creation as the meekest of all, swaddled in a manger, should prove to us that our God is an awesome God.

Ponder:

How have you humbled yourself today? Who do you look up to with respect that takes a smaller role to make way for someone else? Especially as mothers, we have a special role in the family; our role is so important, yet we spend our days mopping floors, picking up toys and clothing, preparing meals, and taxi driving our families around. But without us, our families would crumble…we are huge, but we must recognize that we must be small to serve and nurture our families. This is Christ-like; this is motherhood!

Pray:

Dear Christ, you showed us how to be humble and great at the same time without being haughty and arrogant. May we follow your example and be the best parents we can be. We thank you for these children in our care, for our families, our spouses, our many blessings! We ask this in your name. Amen.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Ebeth Weidner