The Fruit of Lord's Passion: The Salvation of the Whole World

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Tuesday of Holy Week, Year B,  March 30th, 2021
Texts: Is. 49: 1-6; Ps. 71: 1-2.3-4a.5-6ab.15ab.17; John 13:21-33.36-38
The first reading tells us that the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ is meant to bring salvation to all nations. God, through prophet Isaiah, says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” The reading tells us that God prepared Him for the purpose of bringing salvation to the whole world. The preparation began from His conception in the womb. This reminds us that the preparation of the Son of God for the salvation of the world began with incarnation, when the Word took flesh, when God created a body for His Son in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He prepared a body for His Son to enable Him to suffer, bear pains and sorrows. He created a body for Him that He might have compassion. His body is the basis of His passion. St. Basil, in today's office of the reading, says, "This was the purpose of Christ's dwelling in the flesh, the pattern of his life described in the gospels, his sufferings, the cross, the burial, the resurrection, ; so that man could be saved, and could recover, through imitating Christ, the adoption of former times"(p. 269). This reminds us to always submit ourselves to God's formation, that we may accomplish His purpose for our lives. This calls for obedience to His words.
It goes further to tell us that the salvation is brought about by God. Hence, the servant says, "I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God.” The success of the mission  depends on God. This calls us to trust in God, even when it seems things are not working, even when it seems our labour is in vain; it is God that gives the blessings and make our labours fruitful. Sometimes we may not understand how God will make it work or fruitful, let us continue doing the works entrusted to us and trusting in His promises and power to bring things out of nothing.
Jesus, in today's gospel reading, tells us about His passion. He reminds us that we shall share from His passion by following Him. He says, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow afterward.”  St. Basil also says, "So, for perfection of life it is necessary not only to imitate Christ, in his examples of gentleness, and humility, and patience which he gave us in his life, but also to imitate him in his death, as Paul the imitator of Christ says, 'Becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead'" (p. 270).                                                            The gospel reading also tells us that Judas Iscariot has made a move to betray Jesus Christ into the hands of His enemies. Despite the warning, he did not turn away from his evil desire. This teaches us that we should not give room for evil in our hearts. When evil takes root in man's heart, it hardens his heart, makes him blind and deaf. Devil will always make attempt to introduce evil into our hearts, but let us not think about it, let us reject it immediately. By attempting to think about evil in our hearts, we are creating rooms for it without knowing. Judas Iscariot has allowed greed, selfishness, and theft to take root in his heart and so he could no longer hear warning; repentance has eluded him, he pressed on in his evil desire.
Since everything worked for the good of those who love God (Rom. 8:28), the evil plan of Judas Iscariot worked to fulfil God’s purpose and design. The evil desire of Judas Iscariot worked to bring about the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the passion which merits for us justification and salvation. Let us continue trusting in God, He will not fail in working out our salvation.

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for your passion and death that win for us salvation, grant that we may never fail to appreciate your passion and death in our lives. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke