Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R.    Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R.    Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R.    Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R.    Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

He is risen!  Jesus Christ has risen!  Alleluia!  O Death, where is thy sting!  I wish to extend to all who read this daily blog a blessed and happy Easter.  The message from yesterday bears repeating…He is risen!  Jesus Christ has risen!  Alleluia!

My message for you today is to look at two of Christ’s disciples that played an important role in His Crucifixion.  Judas and Peter.

Judas betrayed a man he loved.  It was rather ominous to read in the Gospels last week… “After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.”  “Judas his betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.  So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.” “Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done.  He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.”  They said, “What is that to us?
Look to it yourself.”  Flinging the money into the temple, he departed and went off and hanged himself.

Peter denied his Savior, after being told he would do it…Then Jesus said to them, “This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed; but after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee.  ”Peter said to him in reply, “Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be.”  Jesus said to him, “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”  Peter said to him, “Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.”…”Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.  One of the maids came over to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”  But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about!”  As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazorean.”  Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!”  A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; even your speech gives you away.”  At that he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man.”  And immediately a cock crowed.  Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.”  He went out and began to weep bitterly.

Two men, two men hand picked by Jesus to be an Apostle, betrayed and denied Christ at the most critical point in Jesus’ life and in their lives too.  What is the difference here that we all need to pray about?  Judas gave into despair and took his life; he never gave Jesus the opportunity to forgive him of his sin.  Peter gave into despair, wept bitterly but GAVE Jesus the opportunity to not only forgive him of his sin, but allow him to have the Holy Spirit take over his life and become the Rock of our Church.  We read about his leadership today in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

We are all sinners.  At one point in our life, our sin has caused us to betray Christ.  How you chose to react to your sin is up to you.  Will you go by the way of Judas and not seek repentance and forgiveness?  Will you go by the way of Peter and seek that forgiveness;  seek redemption for all of your sins; seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make you a witness to the Risen Christ?  I chose the way of Peter and so I say to you again today…He is risen!  Jesus Christ has risen!  Alleluia!

Do something great for our Lord today…profess His Resurrection.  Live a life in Christ Jesus.  Seek that repentance from your sins.  Live knowing that Christ was crucified, died and was buried but on the third day, rose from the dead. He is risen!  Jesus Christ has risen!  Alleluia!

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.

But you man of God, chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.  Compete will for the faith.

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion – inexhaustible, look kindly on us and increase Your mercy in us so that in difficult times we may not despair nor become despondent  but with great confidence, submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

He is risen!  Jesus Christ has risen!  Alleluia!