IV SUNDAY OF LENT Homily
Recently I read an alternative version of the Last Supper story. It’s just a joke, but it has some truth in it. As the Last Supper was drawing to a close, Jesus looked around the table at this final gathering of his closest friends. On the far left was Judas who had already taken a bribe to betray Jesus –in just about two hours. On the right was Peter who by daybreak would three times deny even knowing Jesus. And the rest of His friends at the table? They would be gone as soon as the first soldier showed up. There seemed to be only one thing to do: Jesus called the head waiter: “Max”, he said, “Separate checks, please”. What a sorry lot, deserting and betraying the best friend they ever had. Many of us would say they weren’t worth dying for. But that’s not what Jesus thought. From the beginning, he’d known them from the inside out, and he had no illusions about them or any of the rest of us. As last Sunday’s gospel said: “He didn’t need anyone to instruct him about human nature. He understood it well”. And a lot of it isn’t very pretty. But he saw more than just the flaws. He saw that God our Father sees, and that is the capacity of every one of us to grow into great goodness. As the ultimate faithful friend, He was determined to stick with us, and to do whatever was necessary to help our goodness come to life, instead of withering and dying. And so He left that Last Supper, not despairing, but full of hope for us and for our future. And full of hope, he freely gave himself up to die for us. God never gives up on any one of us. Never! All He asks in return is that we not give up –on ourselves or on one another. He has the power to make every one of us grow large and grow whole. And He wants to give us that power, so that we will thrive and will help one another to thrive. That is God’s fondest desire for us: That we thrive. So trust Him, open your heart, and receive the powerful, transforming gift of His enormous friendship. It will change your life and the lives of everyone around you. Don’t turn your back on his gift. He died to give it to you! Lord Jesus Christ, your death brought life for us. May your love consume and transform my life that I may desire you above all else. Help me to love what you love, to desire what you desire, and to reject what you reject.