Wednesday, April 16
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 70
Hebrews 12:1-3
John 12:21-32
Today is Holy
Wednesday, also known as Spy Wednesday, Ugly Wednesday, and Black Wednesday,
leading us up to the unfolding of the great drama of Christ’s death on the
cross. John’s Gospel tells the story of
Judas betraying Our Lord to the Sanhedrin for 30 pieces of silver. This
betrayal is the first step of Christ’s pain and suffering. Thinking of this and
the agony that was to come must have seemed overwhelming, even to Christ, who
was alone in his sufferings. We know that He prayed to His heavenly Father as
He suffered, and this we should apply to our own circumstances.
There are days in
our lives when our burden seems extra heavy – days when our difficulties seem
to multiply with no relief in sight. My mother used to tell me that I was my
own best friend in my troubles, but even more than that, God is our best
friend. We are alone as Christ was alone, and that’s when we should take
Christ’s example and fill our hearts with prayer. When we see our friends and
families burdened with worries and troubles, it’s our responsibility to direct
them toward Christ and the life of prayer that He calls us to live.
It’s our job to
persevere because He persevered for us. We will persevere if we keep our eyes
fixed on Jesus and His great love for us. His sacrifice brought us the gift of
Salvation. His perseverance should bring us the gift of strength and renewed
hope.
Elizabeth Bremner