"One of you will betray me"
"Amen I say to you, one of you will betray me." These words must have been difficult for the disciples to hear but even more painful for Jesus to say. We reach now the end of Lent and the beginning of the Triduum - the sacred days in which we enter the heart of our Christian faith. By the wood of the Cross, our Savior redeemed the world. Immediately after hearing those words of Jesus we are told the disciples began to say to him one after another, "Surely, it is not I Lord." Our attention is more easily focused on Judas the Isacriot, on the 12 apostles, the closest confidantes and friends that Jesus has. It is Judas who will sell Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. From that moment, Judas becomes a scoundrel and fiend to Christians in every age - what an act of selfishness, a betrayal of trust beyond measure. How could anyone do such a thing to Jesus? In his human nature, Jesus must have felt keenly the sadness and pain that comes from such a breech of all that friendship and love hold dear and precious.
We know that this was all part of God's plan so that Jesus could indeed offer his life in reparation for the sins of mankind - a total, unconditional act of selflessness for those he loves without measure. But Judas is not alone. The other disciples too will betray Jesus in their own way. Peter will deny he even knows the Lord not once but three times before the sun comes up. The others flee out of fear and hopelessness - only John and Mary remain standing with Jesus at the foot of Cross. It might be easier for us to focus on Judas and decry his act of destruction - it is so blatant and hateful. But it is far more difficult to readily admit our own occasion of sin, the ways in which we betray our Lord and our faith. We do it so easily, often without much thought. We rationalize our sins; we blame others for what we do; we are quick to judge and to condemn; we easily compromise on what faith requires of us in our choices and decisions - the same thing as selling out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
The real sadness and pain is not in what Judas did but in what he didn't do. He turned away from the Lord when, in fact, he needed Him most. His destruction was the inability - perhaps out of hopelessness and despair - to seek the forgiveness and mercy that Jesus gives to all who seek it. That is an invitation that we must seek and avail ourselves to - the great font of God's merciful love, his amazing grace that cleanses us of our sins and strengthens us for the journey ahead. We are all betrayers, not just Judas. The difference lies in our ability to recognize honestly what we have done and how our sins can slowly destroy our relationship with God, with the Church, and with others. This humble recognition leads us to seek God's mercy over and over again. It is this mercy that will ultimately free us from the slavery of sin and restore us as the children of light. As Pope Francis has reminded us over and over again, it is not God who gets tired of forgiving us; it is we who get tired of asking God for forgiveness.
These days call us to reflect on the darkness that sin can bring into our lives and into the lives of others. But we do it with the knowledge that even in our sinfulness, God loves us unconditionally and desires that we will be humble and honest enough to come back to him, to be restored and made whole by grace. Perhaps in these challenging days when we are not able to participate in the sacraments, we can develop a more keen understanding the ways in which we betray Jesus. Knowing leads us to contrition and give us the ability to bring those sins to Jesus out of love. Each of us can make an act of perfect contrition before God as we enter this Sacred Triduum and as we await once again the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Penance in the Church. We walk the painful journey with Jesus once again - we relive his suffering, misery and death on the Cross - more conscious than ever that he died for each of us, so that we would have true freedom from sin and evil. It is the only way that we will come to Easter Sunday and celebrate the gift of new life with such hope, joy, love and peace in our hearts. Betrayal is never the final answer for those put their trust in the Lord.
We know that this was all part of God's plan so that Jesus could indeed offer his life in reparation for the sins of mankind - a total, unconditional act of selflessness for those he loves without measure. But Judas is not alone. The other disciples too will betray Jesus in their own way. Peter will deny he even knows the Lord not once but three times before the sun comes up. The others flee out of fear and hopelessness - only John and Mary remain standing with Jesus at the foot of Cross. It might be easier for us to focus on Judas and decry his act of destruction - it is so blatant and hateful. But it is far more difficult to readily admit our own occasion of sin, the ways in which we betray our Lord and our faith. We do it so easily, often without much thought. We rationalize our sins; we blame others for what we do; we are quick to judge and to condemn; we easily compromise on what faith requires of us in our choices and decisions - the same thing as selling out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
The real sadness and pain is not in what Judas did but in what he didn't do. He turned away from the Lord when, in fact, he needed Him most. His destruction was the inability - perhaps out of hopelessness and despair - to seek the forgiveness and mercy that Jesus gives to all who seek it. That is an invitation that we must seek and avail ourselves to - the great font of God's merciful love, his amazing grace that cleanses us of our sins and strengthens us for the journey ahead. We are all betrayers, not just Judas. The difference lies in our ability to recognize honestly what we have done and how our sins can slowly destroy our relationship with God, with the Church, and with others. This humble recognition leads us to seek God's mercy over and over again. It is this mercy that will ultimately free us from the slavery of sin and restore us as the children of light. As Pope Francis has reminded us over and over again, it is not God who gets tired of forgiving us; it is we who get tired of asking God for forgiveness.
These days call us to reflect on the darkness that sin can bring into our lives and into the lives of others. But we do it with the knowledge that even in our sinfulness, God loves us unconditionally and desires that we will be humble and honest enough to come back to him, to be restored and made whole by grace. Perhaps in these challenging days when we are not able to participate in the sacraments, we can develop a more keen understanding the ways in which we betray Jesus. Knowing leads us to contrition and give us the ability to bring those sins to Jesus out of love. Each of us can make an act of perfect contrition before God as we enter this Sacred Triduum and as we await once again the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Penance in the Church. We walk the painful journey with Jesus once again - we relive his suffering, misery and death on the Cross - more conscious than ever that he died for each of us, so that we would have true freedom from sin and evil. It is the only way that we will come to Easter Sunday and celebrate the gift of new life with such hope, joy, love and peace in our hearts. Betrayal is never the final answer for those put their trust in the Lord.
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