Breaking news: she has just been fired by the president, Donald Trump.
With all the flip-flops and the deflection, it was clear she wouldn't be at that post for long.
It will be interesting to see who succeeds her.
The “Queen of Deflection.” Maybe, when she goes back home to Florida, she can write us a memoir about her time at the White House-as the chief law enforcement officer.
Welcome home, Pam.
I tried watching the address myself-more than once-and couldn’t get through it. Lately, I find it very difficult to watch the President speak at all. That’s strange for me; I’ve never had this reaction to any world leader, not even Bibi. I literally feel discomfort in my ears when I hear him talk. Part of that is because he can barely finish a sentence without mixing outright falsehoods with traces of truth. It’s exhausting.
Still, one statement stuck with me during the first few minutes I managed to endure. He said that America doesn’t need Iranian oil because we are energy-independent here at home. That might be technically true, but it ignores a critical reality: the countries that depend on Iranian oil are also vital to Americans’ everyday survival.
China is the world’s factory. Much of what we use in this country is manufactured abroad,particularly in China, India, and Japan, all nations reliant on overseas energy supplies. The President surely knows this. So why make that statement? What purpose does it serve?
And why is America still locked in a war of attrition? Why are ordinary people sending their kids to go and die for a war that will not benefit them? These and other questions are worth pondering.
If anyone expected the U.S. to enter this war and be out in a week or two, that expectation reflects weak and lazy reasoning. We were told the war was instigated by our ally Israel, and that the U.S. joined in. Israel’s prime minister, Bibi of Israel, has been pushing for confrontation with Iran for over three decades, and now it has finally arrived. His wishes have come through, and now the agenda has to be served.
To the ordinary mind, Iran cannot have nukes, that has always been the claim. Well, nukes are dangerous, and responsible states should have them. But what are their purposes to begin with? To deter adversaries. Russia is alleged to be the number one nation on earth with the most nukes, and the U.S. second. These weapons are expensive to make and require serious technical skill to develop. Israel has never fully declared they have them, but multiple sources believe they possess over 300 of warheads. As you can tell, nobody knows exactly how many they are. In fact it's not publicly confirmed that they have have them. They are not part of the nonproliferation agreement. What if Iran already have nukes by other means? It's a secret nations can keep. Will that be a mutually assured destruction (MAD)?
We have to be careful.
And the point here is that any country in the 21st century concerned with its survival believes it must possess these weapons. Say what you will about North Korea, they are a nuclear-armed nation. When was the last time you heard anybody trying to attack them?
We believe we have come a long way as a civilization. Why can’t we use diplomacy to solve our problems, but instead fuss and fight, kill and maim? I am not naive; I do know a thing or two.
So if the war is going on longer than expected, that is by design. It feels eerily similar to the “two weeks to flatten the curve” narrative during COVID, a short-term promise that stretched into months and then years.
There are a few observations here worth sitting with, especially for those paying attention. People should get their affairs in order. If anything, we are cooked. This is not a joke.
Have a great day.
-Pal Ronnie
Response:
“The cup of blessing that we bless is a sharing in the blood of Christ.”
In Jesus’ time, as most people walked with bare feet, the servant or slave of the house would wash the feet of visitors. But Jesus turns this around, He becomes the servant of all by washing the feet of His disciples.
This is our Easter journey:
to become servants of others.
As we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection, we are reminded that true greatness is found in humility and service.
In the second reading, Saint Paul recalls the institution of the Eucharist, the bread becoming the Body of Christ and the wine becoming the Blood of Christ. This is what we receive regularly, and through it, we are transformed.
The more we receive the Eucharist, the more we become like Christ, the more we become people for others.
In the first reading from Exodus, we hear about the Passover, the marking of homes with the blood of the lamb as a sign of belonging to God.
Today, we also bear a sign:
We carry a crucifix
We make the sign of the cross
We live as witnesses
We belong to God.
We are called not to hide our faith, but to live it openly:
In public
In our homes
Even in simple acts like blessing our food
As we prayed in the psalm:
“The cup of blessing that we bless is a sharing in the blood of Christ.”
We are called to share in Christ’s life and to reflect Him in our families and communities.
This is a journey, a journey back to Christ for those who have drifted away, and a deeper journey for those seeking Him.
As we enter the Triduum, we renew our faith:
In the Eucharist
In service
In the Resurrection
We are a Eucharistic people.
We are called to live what we receive.
Amen.
God bless you 🙏
Response:
“In your great mercy, answer me, O God, in the time of your favor.”
(Judas’ betrayal and the preparation for the Passion of Christ)
Reflection:
No one enjoys suffering, especially innocent suffering. When we suffer because of our own actions, we can at least understand why. But when we are falsely accused, misunderstood, or hurt for no reason, it cuts deeper.
Our natural reaction is to:
Defend ourselves loudly
Prove our innocence
Return insult for insult
Curse those who hurt us
But today’s first reading presents a different response-a divine response.
The prophet describes a servant who suffers unjustly, yet responds not with anger, but with discipline and trust in God:
He does not rebel
He does not retaliate
He does not curse
He remains silent or prayerful
This is the tongue of Christ.
Think of Jesus:
He was insulted
Beaten
Spat upon
Crucified
Yet what did He say?
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
No curses.
No revenge.
Only prayer and mercy.
Not from weakness.
Not from lack of pain.
It comes from trust in God.
As Isaiah says:
“The Lord God helps me”
“He who vindicates me is near”
The servant endures because he knows:
God defends the innocent.
When people:
Misjudge us
Accuse us falsely you
Speak against us
Ask yourself:
Do I respond with anger?
Do I repay evil for evil?
Or do I respond like Christ?
We are called to:
Return insult with blessing
Replace curses with prayer
Trust God as our defender
As Jesus teaches:
“Pray for your enemies and do good to those who hate you.”
We remain calm not because:
We feel no pain
We are weak
But because:
We know God is fighting for us.
Amen.
First Reading: (Isaiah 49:1–6)
Response: “My mouth will tell of your salvation, Lord.”
At that time, Jesus, reclining with His disciples, was troubled in spirit and testified:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
Today’s Gospel centers on a single act that leads Jesus to His Passion.
Betrayal is the violation of trust and confidence.
It is:
A break of loyalty
The exposure of what was meant to be kept in love
A wound inflicted by someone close
Betrayal is painful.
Yes, Jesus was destined to die, but did it have to be through betrayal?
Judas was not forced. He had a choice. And yet, he chose to betray.
What makes it more painful is this:
It came from within.
“One of you will betray Me, one who has eaten with Me.”
The enemies of Jesus needed information. They did not know His movements. They needed an insider.
Judas chose to be that insider.
As Scripture echoes:
“If an enemy had insulted me, I could bear it… but it was you, my companion, my close friend.” (cf. Psalm 55:12)
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
A kiss: a symbol of love
Yet used as a tool of deception
What should express love became a weapon.
Something always leads us to betray.
For Judas, it was:
The love of money
But for us, it can be:
Desire for power
Bodily pleasure
Fear of authority
The need to fit in
Every betrayal begins with a disordered appetite.
Judas was not alone.
Peter betrayed Jesus by denying Him
The apostles fled in fear
They all failed in loyalty.
Before we condemn Judas or Peter, we must look inward.
We betray Jesus when:
We deny the truth
We live contrary to our faith
We choose sin over Him
We fail our baptismal promises
We once said:
“I will follow You.”
Yet often, like Peter:
We deny Him in our actions.
And yet, this is powerful,
Even knowing Judas would betray Him,
Jesus still offered him friendship.
“The one to whom I give this morsel…”
Even at the edge of betrayal,
grace was still being offered.
Dear Lord,
Many times, we too have betrayed You.
Many times, we have not been loyal to Your friendship.
We ask for Your mercy.
As we journey deeper into Holy Week:
Help us to be faithful
Help us to be loyal
Help us not to make empty promises
But to truly follow You, even to the cross.
Amen.
Responsorial Psalm: (Jeremiah 31)
Response: The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Cast away from you all your transgressions, says the Lord,
and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
Alleluia.
Reflection:
We stand today on the edge of something sacred, the threshold of Holy Week.
The readings speak of unity, of a people once divided being brought back together under one shepherd. God promises through the prophet Ezekiel that He will gather His people, cleanse them, and make them one again. Not scattered, not broken, but one.
And yet, in the Gospel, we see the opposite unfolding. Instead of unity, there is division. Instead of faith, there is fear. The leaders see Jesus not as the fulfillment of God’s promise, but as a threat to their power.
Caiaphas speaks words that are meant to protect a nation, but in truth, they reveal something deeper: fear disguised as wisdom. “It is better that one man should die for the people.”
Without realizing it, he speaks a prophecy.
Because this is exactly what Christ came to do, not as a political solution, not as a temporary fix, but as a divine sacrifice. One man will die so that all may live.
But notice the contrast. God’s plan is to gather and unite. Human instinct is to divide and control. God moves toward sacrifice and love. Human power moves toward fear and preservation.
And this is where we find ourselves today.
As we approach Holy Week, the question is not just whether we will observe it, but whether we will walk with Christ through it.
It is easy to celebrate Palm Sunday when the crowds are cheering.
It is easy to rejoice on Easter when the tomb is empty.
But will we remain with Him when the crowd disappears?
Will we stay when the cross appears?
Will we walk with Him in the silence, in the suffering, in the loneliness of Good Friday?
Because that is where true discipleship is revealed.
Perhaps today, fewer people make that journey. Perhaps the crowds are thinner than they once were. But the invitation remains the same.
Christ still walks toward the cross.
And He does not walk it alone, unless we choose not to follow.
So as we enter this holy time, let us not be like those who watched from a distance or turned away in fear. Let us be among those who stay.
Let us walk with Him, through the suffering, through the silence, and into the glory of the Resurrection.
Amen
God bless you 🙏
