March 27, 2007
Pope Benedict XVI, Ash Wednesday, 2007
May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God’s love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must “regive” to our neighbour, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need.
Only in this way will we be able to participate fully in the joy of Easter. May Mary, Mother of Beautiful Love, guide us in this Lenten journey, a journey of authentic conversion to the love of Christ. I wish you, dear brothers and sisters, a fruitful Lenten journey, imparting with affection to all of you, a special Apostolic Blessing.
Tuesday – Fifth Week of Lent
When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.” And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” Then he released Barabbas to the them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified. Mt. 27:24-26
Pilate washes his hands. Once again we have the haunting trail of innocent blood. Pilate is trying to wash away his own responsibility.
Pilate’s words to the crowd – “Look to it yourselves.” – echoes what the chief priests and elders said to Judas, “Look to it yourself.” It’s the old story of trying to avoid personal responsibility for something we know down deep isn’t right.
Trying to rationalize guilt away is useless. We go nowhere, and this guilt still haunts us.
Some of the wrong things we do are not entirely our own fault. But they are partly our fault. There’s no point in identifying the guilt of others if we do not flat out acknowledge our own.
Remember the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector? The tax collector “stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast and prayed: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’”
There’s not a one of us who can’t say that sentence with utter honesty. So say it. Then, sit in silence, and listen to the Lord’s response.
Spend some quiet time with the Lord.
