Troubled Heart, Steady Face

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Wednesday in Holy Week

Today's Readings:
[ Is 50:4-9a; Ps 70; Heb 12:1-3; Jn 13:21-32 ]

Holy Wednesday draws us into a quiet tension: faithfulness set against betrayal, resolve against fear. In Isaiah, the servant declares, “I have set my face like flint”. There is no illusion here. The servant knows suffering is coming—mockery, shame, violence—and yet does not turn away. This is not stubborn pride, but trust: “The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced.”

In the Franciscan tradition, we see in this steadfastness a deep humility. St. Francis did not seek suffering for its own sake, but he embraced it when it came, recognizing Christ present even in hardship. To “set one’s face like flint” is not to harden the heart, but to anchor it firmly in God.

Psalm 70 echoes the urgency of a heart that knows its need: “O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me!” There is no pretense here, no polished prayer, just honest dependence. This too is Franciscan: a spirituality of poverty, not only in material things, but in spirit. We come before God with empty hands.

In Hebrews, we are urged to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus”. And what do we see when we look to Him today? In John’s Gospel, we enter the Upper Room, where even in the intimacy of shared bread, betrayal is unfolding. Jesus is “troubled in spirit,” fully aware of what is to come, and of who will hand Him over.

And yet—He continues. He gives. He loves.

This is the heart of the Gospel, and the heart of Franciscan life: to love not because it is safe, but because it is true. Judas departs into the night, but Christ remains in the light, offering Himself freely.

Holy Wednesday invites us to examine our own hearts. Where are we tempted to turn away? Where do we resist the path set before us? Christ does not call us to heroic displays, but to faithful presence—to remain, to trust, to love.

Set your face like flint, not in defiance, but in quiet confidence in God's faithfulness.

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