Letting go of unnecessary struggles is not easy. Dictionary.com defines the word struggle as, "to be coping with inability to perform well or to win; contend with difficulty." Do we struggle out of fear? Fear we will lose; fear we will be shamed; fear of death; fear of (you insert the word)? Decisions we make based on fear do not involve God, they usually involve ego. Talking to my sister Diane yesterday, she gave me a great acronym for the word EGO: Edging God Out. So why do we let our egos get in the way? Because it's familiar. Because if we don't protect our fragile egos, who will? The answer to the question is easy . . . God. He is our Great Protector. I firmly believe, as a result of this mission, it doesn't matter what threats or conditions I endure. He is worth the fight. After all, He fought for us and died for our sins. It's the least we can do for Him.
In todays Gospel (Matthew 26:14-25), the betrayal continues:
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, AMy appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”" The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”
In todays Gospel (Matthew 26:14-25), the betrayal continues:
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, AMy appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”" The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”
In Anne a lay apostle's book Whispers From the Cross, she clarifies why retaliation when we are wounded by another only hurts Christ:
"A proclaimed enemy at least allows us to be on guard. When one pretends to be a friend, we allow love to flow through us to them. We give. Our guard is down. When this love is exploited and it is found that person has abused love, one’s trust can be badly shaken. Such hurt. The only place to take it is to the foot of the Crucified Christ. That is the only place where it will make sense. And, when we deliver this hurt to Jesus, He is able to console us and guide us through the temptations that accompany betrayal. Now, there can be a grave temptation to slap back. This is a grave temptation for many reasons, the first and most being that we will do further injury to God’s plan if we behave like God’s enemy. Should we verbalize our hurt? Only if there is a receptivity at the other end. If there is no such receptivity, we risk engaging in what can become a dark dialogue that will take us further and further from peace. If there is receptivity, then we should verbalize our pain and seek reconciliation, but not until we are recollected in God’s love. There is no benefit to taking anger, fueled by God’s enemy, to someone who has hurt us."
Lay apostles, what are you struggling with today? Think about it. Write it down if you have to. Then let it go. Let Jesus heal your woundedness. Aim to please Him, not your own ego. It's not easy, but every day you let bits and pieces of your stuggles go, the easier it is to handle bumps in the road arising in the future.
Thank you, Lord, for my life, my struggles, my fears. Continue to remind me to rely on You when fear begins to creep in. I honestly don't know how people do it without You!
God bless,
Bonnie
Lay apostles, what are you struggling with today? Think about it. Write it down if you have to. Then let it go. Let Jesus heal your woundedness. Aim to please Him, not your own ego. It's not easy, but every day you let bits and pieces of your stuggles go, the easier it is to handle bumps in the road arising in the future.
Thank you, Lord, for my life, my struggles, my fears. Continue to remind me to rely on You when fear begins to creep in. I honestly don't know how people do it without You!
God bless,
Bonnie
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