Reflection for Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Tuesday of Holy Week

IS 49:1-6

PS 71:1-2, 3-4A, 5AB-6AB, 15 AND 17

JN 13:21-33, 36-38

We are called this Tuesday of Holy Week to sing of the salvation Jesus has promised us.  Each and every one of us has been chosen to join God in heaven and that should give us strength and hope for the future.  But what does that truly mean in our daily lives?  If we are already saved, then what are we striving for and why are we often still troubled and tested?

These are great questions to discern, but to me, these questions and the answers I have come to know have helped me to form a much more intimate understanding of my relationship with God.  Each day we have choices to make that end up forming who we are and how we act.  We cannot simply know that we are saved and then do whatever we want.  We should be rejoicing in our salvation through way we conduct ourselves.  By choosing to live our lives in the way Jesus intends, we are singing in thanksgiving of the sacrifices of Jesus.  Sounds pretty simple, right? Not so much.  There will still be trials and tribulations in this world and you may not always be going with the norm of society by acting like Jesus would, but it is still the right thing to do.  Today we hear about how even Peter, who is often seen as Jesus’s closest Apostle, denied Jesus three times, which just further proves that no one is perfect.  We are all sinners and that is simply part of our humanity, but that is what makes this Holy Week so beautiful.  Jesus died for our sins so that we can be saved.  So, how do we live this out?  We need to actively work on our relationship with God and intentionally act in the way of Jesus and when we mess up, we can come to God for forgiveness.  Peter was Jesus’s beloved friend and even he messed up from time to time, so how are we expected to be any different?  We aren’t.  We are expected to find hope in the promise of salvation and love in the way of Jesus.  Each and every day we can choose to live in this way and become closer to God.  So in short, yes, we have been saved in the moment Jesus died on the cross, but we can rejoice in this truth by living the way God intended and turning to our faith in times of distress.

God, today we ask you to be with us as we reflect on the beauty of our promised salvation.  Thank you for being with us in this time of discernment and for sending your Son to die for our sins.  As we go forth in this Holy Week, we ask for You to help us recognize You in the people and situations we encounter.  Help us to sing Your praises each and every day.  In Your name we pray, Amen.

Miranda Reeder is a senior nursing major and a Campus Ministry intern.