GLORIFICATION THROUGH OBEDIENCE AMIDST SUFFERINGS - 04/04/23 (Tuesday of Holy Week)

John 13:31–32

“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040423.cfm

Blessed Holy Tuesday! As seen in the gospel reading, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified..." The time when our Lord said that He was glorified was just after Judas made the decision to go to the Pharisees to betray Him. We are also invited by Christ to share in His glory. Because obedience to God is the means by which Jesus Christ is glorified, we should take the same route for us to experience true happiness. However, obedience to God may be difficult when we experience suffering, especially from other people. As seen in the gospel reading, Jesus was firm in embracing His passion and death even though He would be betrayed by His own disciple. What can we learn from our Lord for us to be more obedient to Him and have hope for heavenly glory? Jesus Christ was focused on the love of the Father for Him, and because of this, He did not lack peace even when His disciple did not express his love for Christ. Sometimes, one of the reasons why it's easy for us to be angry or to dwell in our sadness is we are placing our worth on other people. We may be too focused and attached to whether they accept us or not. This may be a natural feeling, but God calls us to go beyond what is natural to us. When we recognize the infinite love of God for us, we will be more content, and it will be easier for us to remain gentle when other people do not reciprocate the love that we give back to them. It's because we know that only God is the source of true happiness. 

Other than this, Jesus Christ remained obedient to the Father despite the upcoming betrayal because our Lord truly desired our salvation. Jesus knew that His sufferings and death on the Cross were His instruments for us to be saved. There are times when we become upset as we see that others are not obedient to God. When some become prideful while other people commit blasphemous words, some may feel angry with them because of the pain of seeing those who do not accept God's graces in their lives. We may complain that they are not too focused on salvation, but we may also neglect our own salvation. Jesus wants us to remain on guard so that we may not fall to sins because of the deeds of others. Instead, He is also inspiring us to be humble because it's by God's grace, not by our own strength, that we are saved. Also, it will be better if we will pray for the salvation and conversion of these people. Let's have trust in God's mercy and not be troubled by our imperfections because, by the sufferings and death of Christ, God will protect us from our weaknesses. The glory of Christ, as manifested on the Cross, gives us hope of the glory that awaits us in heaven if we are obedient to God amidst the sufferings in our lives.

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Fasting and Abstinence during Lent:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/56337/fasting-and-abstinence-during-lent

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth