It is so easy to forget that while Jesus was fully God, he was also fully Man.  He is true God and true man. The Catechism puts it this way,

The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human. He became truly man while remaining truly God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man.
(Catechism 464, Bold added by author)

Don’t miss that. Jesus became a man in every way, apart from sin. That means that He had emotions.  He felt real pain, physical and emotional. Yes, He lived his life totally in the will of the Father.  But, that doesn’t mean it was always easy. Actually, at some points, it seems like it was really hard.  Jesus did not hide the fact that the work He came to do was troubling. In today’s Gospel, it actually says, “Jesus was troubled.” We will get into why was he troubled in just a bit but, before we do, I want to point out a couple other examples.  Earlier, in chapter twelve verse twenty-seven, Jesus actually says it himself, “I am troubled now.” Then, in Matthew’s Gospel, at the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus says, “My soul is sorrowful even to death.” Yes, Jesus was in the will of the Father, but it was not without struggle.

Back to today’s Gospel. Why is Jesus troubled while he reclines at the table?  Here’s what He says about it, “One of you will betray me.” Jesus was hurt, troubled, because one of the twelve, his closest friends in the world, was about to betray Him and hand Him over to death. How very human. Are you getting it yet? Jesus lived out perfect humanity. He showed us what it means to live in the will of the Father, and yet, he still had emotions. Being betrayed by a friend still hurt.

There is something so incredibly beautiful about a God who is troubled. Jesus’ life was offered for our sins, but we cannot forget that He lived his life as an example of how we are called to live ours. We too are called to live in the Father’s will, doing the work of the Kingdom. St. Paul reminds us that we are also supposed to offer ourselves “as a living sacrifice.”  Sometimes that is going to be easy, and sometimes… well, we are going to need to cling to the Lord and trust in His faithfulness. Sometimes it is going to be really hard. Sometimes the task will seem bigger than us, and there may even be betrayals. Jesus dealt with that too. As we move through this Holy Week and approach the Easter Season, we have to remember Jesus’ words,  “in this life you will have troubles. . .” He did. We will too. But, like Jesus, we need to keep clinging to God’s faithfulness and seek more and more to be united with God, living in His will.

Chris Mueller is the creator of the Chris Mueller Project, an entertaining new show for Catholic families.  ChrisMuellerProject.com/welcome

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1 COMMENT

  1. Dear Lord, I dn’t know why I feel the pain of sin so deeply. I see it in my grandson’s eyes occasionally when he interrupts himself to tell me something his Dad did that seem to hurt him. I pray Lord for your protection of my sweet, innocent grandson, for his mother & father to become aware of those actions/words that hurt their child. I pray for your healing love to surround this small family, protecting them from evil. Let them feel your unconditional love.

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