Tuesday in Holy Week:  Isaiah 49:1-7, I Corinthians 1:18-21; John 12:20-36, Psalm 71

Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

Psalm 71 is an older person’s prayer for help in times of distress.  Anyone who has lived a few years has undoubtedly experienced some form of distress whether illness, broken relationships, the loss of a loved one, or just moments of feeling alone and lonely.  The psalmist is reaching out to God with a reminder that you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.  This does not appear to be a person whining to God or feeling victimized by his/her enemies; rather, the Psalmist shares his hope and trust that just as God has provided refuge in his youth, so as he ages, will God continue to be his rock.

Jesus expressed that same trust in the Father during his last public conversation in the Gospel for today.  The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  He reminds listeners that it was for this purpose that he was sent and reminds us all that unless we die to our self, we cannot live.  Jesus cautions us to walk in the light, not in the darkness.

As we journey through this Holy Week, let us pray that God will hold our feet to the fire of His grace and make us attentive to our mortality that we may begin to die now to those things that keep us from walking in the light with Christ and our neighbors on this earth.  Let us pray with the Psalmist (regardless of our age) O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come.