Holy Week, Tuesday – Is 49:1-6; John 13:21-33,36-38

We often find ourselves sighing in despair, “I have laboured in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity.” Such despondent thoughts frequently besiege us, especially when it appears that our efforts have been futile, that despite our best intentions, we couldn’t preserve some semblance of goodness, and that malevolence has prevailed once more.

God, however, reassures us through His Word, saying, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified”. Despite our protests – “I have laboured in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God” – we are reminded that we have been glorified in the eyes of the Lord, and that God has become our strength.

Our efforts are never in vain when they are for God. He orchestrates events for His purposes. As a seed buried in the soil must die to sprout anew, so too must we sometimes endure periods of waiting and seeming death before seeing the first signs of new life. It’s possible that the fruits of our labour may only be visible to others, but they are always visible to God.

Recall the moment just after Judas departed to betray Jesus, when Jesus declared, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and glorify him at once.” The ultimate display of this glory came not in a triumph of earthly proportions, but paradoxically through His humiliating death among thieves, where a centurion professed, “Truly, this was the Son of God.” His glory was made complete in His resurrection.

So, should we view our efforts as vain? Absolutely not. Think of them instead as a basket brimming with fruits – fruits that may not be immediately visible, but will, in due time, reveal their richness and abundance. Have faith, for in due time, your efforts will surely bear fruit and glorify God.

Prayer for Holy Tuesday.

Stay with me, Lord,
when my lost heart betrays You.
When my words deny the heart.

Stay with me, Lord,
when fear is stronger than love,
and pride suppresses fidelity.

Give me the courage to follow You
even when I do not understand,
even when my spirit sinks into the night.

Stay with me, Lord,
as I look at You promising loyalty,
and then leave You.

Never stop believing in me
even when I stop believing in You.
Lift me with Your loving gaze,
as You lifted Peter.

Stay with me, Lord,
because without You I fall.
Yet with You, I can always start anew.

Amen.