March 22, 2016
One of my
favorite images of the word BELOVED is in today’s gospel from John at the Last
Supper when Jesus says that one of his friends will betray him. It says that the Disciples shared a worried
glance and it must have been a very awkward pause. Can you imagine it, everyone
is feeling a little relaxed from the wine and perhaps mid-bite of lamb chop,
Jesus drops the bomb, “oh yeah, because of one of you, my Bro’s, I’m going to
be executed….” Maybe some of them choked their food down, maybe some lost their
appetite and went straight for more wine, and maybe one in particular had the
shit scared out of him. After this confused skip in time, it says that Peter
motions to John, “ask him who.”
I really
want to see this scene in person because it seems funny in my mind. Peter and
John, in my opinion, must have had this healthy (or not so healthy) rivalry as
to which one of them is actually closest to Jesus. Most “group of ‘Best Friends For Life’” (BFFLs) situations do
have some sort of similar competition. People might say, we know there are
three of you BFFLs, but which TWO of you are actual BFFLs? I see it all the
time with the teenagers and I may or may not be in a three BFFLs scenario of my
own, but I digress! The point is that the Disciples reflect real life and these
little scenes help us see that.
Back to
Peter…what exactly did he do to motion to John? Did they have some sort of
secret Middle Eastern sign language or was their lip reading going on or did he
whisper, “Pssst, John, find out what he means.” And what was John’s reaction?
“Why do I always have to do it? You do it, Peter. You’re the one always putting
your foot in your mouth.” I don’t know why, but it has always seemed like a
comical situation in my imagination.
Then my
favorite part comes when it says that John actually leaned over and rested his
head on Jesus’ chest and softly asked, “Who is it, Lord?” First of all, how
precious and sweet this must have been, such an intimate gesture between two
men and it shows me that there was a special tenderness between Christ and
(depending on your translation) his BELOVED or between Christ and the one he
loved. And, obviously even Peter recognized the extra closeness John and Jesus
had with one another because he deferred to John to go get the inside scoop.
The second
thing I noticed is that if John was close enough to rest his head on Jesus’
chest, then be must have been sitting at Jesus’ right hand, first chair, if you
will! And on the other hand, the left side, last chair: Judas. Was Jesus
telling the world, yes, John is my favorite, my BELOVED?
This scene
floods my soul and it also makes the Passion of Christ way more heartbreaking
when I think of poor John, the only one of the twelve, watching his BELOVED,
his best friend, his brother, his person give his life away to brutal
murderers, when hours before, they were BELOVEDLY intimate.
Jesus’ love
goes beyond what the world tells us about love. We connect love or being in
love to sexuality too much and inappropriately so. We can share intimately with
our BELOVED(s) and still reflect Christ but like everything of this world, sin
gets in the way and clouds our judgment. May we all get the chance to know what
it is to be someone’s BELOVED and to simply BE LOVED intimately without
temptation. What a wonderful world it would be if we were all able to rest our
heads on the hearts of those we love?
A couple weeks
ago I attended a talk by Fr. Gil Gentile on the Pope’s book for the Year of
Mercy entitled, The Name Of God Is Mercy,
and as I listened I wrote the following prose. Anne Barrack, one of my talented
wonder teens put it to music. I wanted to share it with you during Holy Week
because God’s name, Mercy, is made known through the face of his Son, Jesus,
and in today’s gospel we see him calling us gently into his name…mercy.
The Name Of God Is
Mercy
Lyrics by Jen Bedison and Music by Anne Barrack
LISTEN ON YOUTUBE
The name of God is Mercy
Breathing sweetly when sin consumes me
Holding me tenderly when I can’t see
Calling me gently into His name… Mercy
As I
discover you
I discover
your heart
Beating
with mine, deep in the dark
Mercy’s Delight
Overcoming the part of me that hurts
The part of me that hurts
My restless
heart burns
For your
belovedness
And I
surrender to you and to your tenderness
Mercy’s Delight
Overcoming the part of me that hurts
The part of me that hurts
The name of God is Mercy
Breathing sweetly when sin consumes me
Holding me tenderly when I can’t see
Calling me gently into His name… Mercy
Be the
center of my life
Exhausted
in love with you
For your
mercy is too good to be true
That it has
to be true
It has to
be you because…The name of God is Mercy
Reading 1 IS 49:1-6
Hear me, O islands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Responsorial Psalm PS 71:1-2, 3-4A, 5AB-6AB, 15 AND 17
R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Verse Before The Gospel
Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?”
Jesus answered,
“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
“Buy what we need for the feast,”
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.
When he had left, Jesus said,
“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.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”
Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him,
“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later.”
Peter said to him,
“Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times.”
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.
Gospel JN 13:21-33, 36-38
Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?”
Jesus answered,
“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
“Buy what we need for the feast,”
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.
When he had left, Jesus said,
“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.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”
Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him,
“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later.”
Peter said to him,
“Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times.”
"Exhausted in love with you" - love that line! Great poetry; great music! All one of the highest vibrations of God's love. By the way, the Barracks were (are) a great family from Santa Sophia when I was a Deacon back in '79 - '80. The twins, Mary Jane and Gil, and the entire family, radiated love out of the beings soon strong! Blessings to them; Blessings to you, Jen; Blessings to our world!
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