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DAILY REFLECTION – TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK
### March 31, 2026
**Source:** Word on Fire
FIRST READING
Isaiah 49:1-6
Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.”
And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
PSALM
Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15 and 17
In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me. Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all day long, though their number is past my knowledge. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
GOSPEL READING
John 13:21-33, 36-38
After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’”
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.”
REFLECTION
The Denial and the Restoration
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus foretells the denial of Peter, which is fulfilled in the account of the passion. Peter later denies Jesus three times before the cock crows and, remembering Jesus’s prediction, breaks down and weeps.
After the resurrection, Peter and the other disciples returned to Galilee to work as fishermen again, and there spotted Jesus on the far shore. As Jesus draws Peter back into his circle of intimacy, we witness a beautiful act of spiritual direction. Three times the Lord asks Peter whether he loves him, and three times Peter affirms it: “Lord, you know that I love you.”
St. Augustine was among the first to comment that the threefold statement of love was meant to counteract the threefold denial. Peter emerges as the archetype of the forgiven and commissioned Church, for after each of his reaffirmations, Peter hears the command to tend the sheep. Once we are brought back into friendship with Jesus, we are called to love those whom he loves.
COMMENTARY
The Shadow of Betrayal
The Gospel for this Tuesday of Holy Week places us in the upper room, in the intimate circle of Jesus and his disciples. Yet even in this sacred space, darkness is present. Jesus is “troubled in spirit” as he announces that one of the Twelve will betray him.
The identity of the betrayer is revealed quietly—a piece of bread dipped and handed to Judas. The intimacy of the gesture makes the betrayal more piercing. The one who shared the table, who received the bread from Jesus’ own hand, is the one who will hand him over.
“And it was night.” The words are stark. Judas steps out into the darkness, and the darkness of betrayal begins its work. But in this very moment, Jesus declares that the Son of Man is glorified. The cross is not a defeat; it is the path to glory.
The Overconfidence of Peter
Peter, in contrast to Judas, is full of confidence. “I will lay down my life for you.” He means it—but he does not yet know himself. Jesus gently warns him: before the cock crows, Peter will deny him three times.
Peter’s failure is different from Judas’s. Judas goes out into the night and does not return until it is too late. Peter, though he falls, remains. His denial is devastating, but his tears are the beginning of repentance.
The Pattern of Sin and Grace
The Gospel does not end with Peter’s denial. The fuller story—the one the Church keeps in view—is the restoration. On the shore of Galilee, after the resurrection, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Each affirmation undoes a denial. Each command to “feed my sheep” restores his mission.
St. Augustine saw in this a profound truth: the threefold affirmation of love undoes the threefold denial. Peter is not cast out; he is commissioned. The one who failed is made the shepherd.
This is the pattern of Holy Week. Sin is real, but grace is greater. Betrayal is possible, but restoration is certain. Denial is human, but divine love is relentless.
Called to Tend
Peter’s restoration comes with a commission: “Feed my sheep.” Those who have been forgiven are sent to forgive. Those who have been loved are called to love. Those who have been restored are entrusted with the care of others.
This is the vocation of every Christian. We are not merely forgiven; we are sent. Not merely restored; we are commissioned. Not merely loved; we are called to love as we have been loved.
PRAYER FOR TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK
Lord Jesus, in this holy week, we walk with you toward the cross. We see in Peter our own weakness—our confident promises and our quick failures. We see in Judas the darkness that can enter even those closest to you.
Forgive us our denials. Restore us, as you restored Peter. Give us courage to remain, even when we falter. And when we are restored, send us to tend your sheep.
May we not walk out into the night, but remain in your light. And may we trust that even in the shadow of betrayal, you are being glorified.
Amen.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Where do I see myself in today’s Gospel? Am I more like Judas, walking away into the night? Or like Peter, staying despite my weakness?
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How have I denied Christ? In what ways do I fail to stand with him when it costs me something?
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How has God restored me? Where have I experienced the mercy that undoes my failures?
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To whom am I called to tend? How can I love those whom Jesus loves?
SCRIPTURES FOR THE DAY
| Reading | Reference |
|---|---|
| First Reading | Isaiah 49:1-6 |
| Psalm | Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15 and 17 |
| Gospel | John 13:21-33, 36-38 |
#HolyWeek #TuesdayOfHolyWeek #WordOnFire #DailyReflection #Peter #Judas #John13 #Isaiah49 #Psalm71
