Every Drop in the Chalice

~~~ Jeremiah 18:18-20 ~~~ Psalm 31 ~~~ Matthew 20:17-28 ~~~ 

“You do not know what you are asking.

Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”

Jesus barely gets the words out of his mouth

before this intense mother is asking for favors for her sons.

The revelation of how Jesus will suffer and die

does not deter this woman.

Perhaps she was not hearing the words of Jesus.

...mocked and scourged and crucified...

What mother would want this to be in the future of her child?

The chalice is the concrete visual of how
Jesus gained our salvation.

The chalice of wine, transformed
 from water at the wedding feast of Cana,
now becomes the blood of the Redeemer.

 ...the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

In the chalice every drop of blood is poured out for us.
We may understand what it means to serve others,
but most of us have no idea what it means to serve
 with every drop of your own blood.

We respond to the call from the Red Cross
 to give blood...the gift of life.
This is a wonderful act of service.

Giving our blood for another does not result
in the giver compromising their own life.

Today at Mass during the consecration
as the chalice was lifted
right behind appearing to
come out of the chalice was the flame from a candle.

It made me think about how one swallow of wine
makes you feel warm inside.

Taking Jesus into your heart
can also be a heartwarming experience.

The ten apostles bickered among themselves over favoritism,
but they too missed the bigger picture.

They missed the deeper meaning of the chalice.
The chalice holds the ultimate example of service.
Ultimate because it is the life of Jesus...his blood
shed for us. There is no greater love. 

He Blesses us with every drop of blood
poured out into the chalice.

The flame above the chalice this morning
is a reminder of how much Jesus loves me...
how he gave his life in service of all of us.

~~~Peace~~~
Let this Lenten journey be the best ever.