Tuesday of Holy Week

1. Lectio

“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel…”

A small thing—
a piece of bread,
dipped,
given.

And yet,
after the morsel,
everything changes.

“After he took the morsel,
Satan entered him.”

Which is a rather terrifying thought—
that something so small
could become the hinge of eternity.

And even more unsettling:

that the hand which gives the morsel
is the hand of Christ Himself.

2. Meditatio

Today, I have been handed a morsel.

Not of bread alone,
but of circumstance.

I had planned—quite comfortably—
to attend the 7:00 a.m. Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Routine is a pleasant thing.
It allows one to feel faithful
without too much disturbance.

But yesterday, the schedule changed.

The Holy Tuesday Mass—gone.
The Chrism Mass—needed to be accommodated.

And the posted schedule—
removed, torn, discarded.

It felt, I must admit,
like a small betrayal.

And I was handed the morsel.

Not by accident—
but quite deliberately, it seemed.

And I did what Judas did,
though in a quieter, more respectable way:

I received it…
and resentment entered.

Not dramatic.
Not obvious.

Just enough to sour the soul.

A whisper of complaint.
A subtle accusation:

“They are making this about themselves.”

Which, I must confess,
was a rather ironic charge
given how thoroughly I was making it about myself.

And then—
another morsel.

This one unexpected.

A fellow daily Mass attendee
mentioned that St. Thomas had moved their evening Mass
to the morning.

A way—quiet, unannounced—
to ensure that those who desired
to be fed
could be fed.

And suddenly, I was given a choice.

Not between Masses—
but between responses.

Between the morsel that breeds resentment
and the morsel that invites gratitude.

And I am grateful—profoundly—
that I received the second morsel
before it was night.

3. Contemplatio (Chestertonian Synthesis)

Chesterton might say that the world is not undone by great evils alone,
but by small choices made at the wrong moments.

A morsel is a small thing.

Bread.
Schedule changes.
A passing comment.

And yet, these are the very places
where the drama unfolds.

For the soul is rarely lost in grand gestures—
it is lost in small permissions.

Judas does not begin with betrayal.
He begins with a morsel.

And the Christian life, likewise,
is not built in heroic leaps,
but in humble receptions.

The curious thing is this:

Christ gives the morsel either way.

The same hand offers it.

The difference lies not in the gift,
but in the reception.

For one man receives and hardens.
Another receives and softens.

And the whole of salvation history
may turn on such a thing.

4. Oratio

5. Actio — In Light of Laudato Si’ and Synodality

More than fifty years ago, with the world teetering on the brink of nuclear crisis, Pope Saint John XXIII wrote an Encyclical which not only rejected war but offered a proposal for peace.

Laudato si’ §3

Communion is built not in grand agreements,
but in daily choices to walk together, even through inconvenience.

Today, I will:

• Receive disruptions not as obstacles, but as invitations.
• Choose gratitude over quiet complaint.
• Walk synodally—recognizing that the Church’s life is larger than my preferences.

For communion is often formed
in the small morsels
we choose to receive with grace.

6. Song Pairing 🎵

🎶 “Give Me Jesus” – Traditional🎵

7. Movie Pairing 🎬

🎬Movie: “Soul” (2020)

My Story

• Bishop Matthiesen, who rode the white horse of public activism even as he brought abusive priests into our diocese such as John Salazar—wounds that still mark us today. I spoke with him often, pleading with him to reconsider his “no regrets” about bringing those priests here…
• Bishop Yanta, who sought to enforce the Dallas Charter even when Bishop Matthiesen resisted him, and who bore the personal and pastoral cost of doing so. I met with Bishop Yanta about Bishop Matthiessen’s “no regrets” stance. He listened. He believed me. He acted where he could. And when he retired, he urged me—quietly but firmly—to keep speaking out.
• Bishop Zurek, who told the Diocese of Amarillo he had “no facts” about the Philadelphia report even as Amarillo’s connection to that tragedy was headline news. When I continued to speak out, as Bishop Yanta had once urged me to do, he later wrote that I was not among the faithful and loyal disciples whom the Lord Jesus desires.
• Bishop Daniel Cardinal DiNardo…

While we recognize your thoughtful suggestion for a renewed dialogue on Bishop Matthiesen, the present circumstances do not present an opportunity for it. I think it would foster division not dialogue. We remain confident in God’s providence and hopeful for what the future may bring.

from a letter dated March 5, 2026