Welcome to Day 30 of our Lenten Reflections on the Gospel of John. Thanks so much for joining us!  Find us on our website: www.markandkatiemartinez.com

A Reflection on John 13:21-38

“When Jesus had thus spoken, he was troubled in spirit…” (v 21)

Our Lord is troubled.  We see the pain on his face, hear the anguish in His voice.  Knowing what He knew, that after the cross came the resurrection, that the pain of His passion would be transformed in His Glorified Body, He still felt troubled. When our Lord entered into the human condition, He entered into everything: He felt deeply, He was tempted, He wept, He sweated blood in great anxiety. So now, faced with the betrayal of a close friend, He feels it keenly.

But He does not stop it. He allows the plan of the evil one to proceed, despite his heartbreak. Because He knows that the schemes of the devil and of men are but threads woven by the Father into the great tapestry of Salvation. And the thread that matters, the thread of Love, woven throughout, holds it all together. And it is in that unbreakable thread, the everlasting Love of God, that the Father is glorified.

“Love one another; even as I have loved you… you also love one another.” (v 34). This is the love He commands us to emulate: the love that looks into the face of His betrayer with compassion, even while feeling deeply the pain of the betrayal and knowing its cost. This is how He has loved us; this is how we are to respond to His love.

And it is with this love, that we can console our Lord’s troubled heart. Will you do this?

My Jesus, I want to ease your troubled heart with my love for you and my love for others. Let me come close. I cannot take away Your pain, but I can be with You in struggle. Here I am, Lord Jesus, I love you.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.