Tomorrow, we begin the most important week in the liturgical calendar— Holy Week. Today’s first reading tells us about the prophesy of how God will save his people and unite them under one shepherd — Jesus. The Gospel proclamation describes an incident that took place after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. The Sanhedrin were planning what they will do about the problems they saw Jesus causing for the rest of the Jewish people. Caiaphas, the high priest says something remarkable: “It is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” Even in God’s eyes, he allowed his Son to take the fall and die for us, so that one man would die for the sins of the whole world. We believe that Jesus died to redeem the whole world. When he hung on the cross, he carried not only the sins of the people of that time but also the sins of the whole world till the end of time. He bore this heavy weight, that we may enjoy the forgiveness of sins and always be connected to God.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for saving us from sin and death. Amen.