Holy Tuesday

Three days before Jesus' death, the Church reads the Gospel, which strongly emphasizes the actions of two of His disciples. What is important to know about this day? The Church invites us to confront specific events in Jesus' life just before His passion and death. Let's examine what He did in today's GospelHoly Tuesday - Jesus foretells Judas' betrayal and Peter's denial. 

 Let's start with the Gospel (Jn 13: 21-33, 36-38)

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?”
Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
“Buy what we need for the feast,”
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.

When he had left, Jesus said,
“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 he will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later.”
Peter said to him, “Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times.”

Examine the betrayal of Judas and recognize its mechanism within you. However, it is not merely about what comes so easily for us to accuse ourselves of treason against Jesus. We constantly blame ourselves for it, yet nothing changes. We can acknowledge our sins and betrayals. We can decide about betrayal and immediately return to Jesus, the one we are about to betray, and pretend that nothing occurred. We betray Jesus in our spouses, friends, and neighbors. We betray Him in ourselves- by not realizing our desires and dreams- allowing ourselves to remain silent for a few silver pieces when we should speak out and resist.

Jesus is being attacked by evil these days, through the doubts of His friends: Judas, Peter, and others, including us. Evil is a skilled strategist; it finds a different weakness in everyone. Judas was tempted by profit; perhaps he clung to his unfulfilled desires. In Peter's case, he exploited his impetuous nature, which is often thoughtless. The closest friends abandon Jesus because they have fallen into the trap of fear or are focused on themselves. We often get caught up in this as well. Instead of being present with Him, we prefer to talk about Him, just like we do with our loved ones. Rather than spending time with them, we often fail with our sound advice, thinking it is better. Our good advice is merely a sign that we feel helpless.

Be with Jesus these days; sit next to Him and don't overwhelm Him with your words, but offer Him your presence as you can. Isaiah reminds us of our great dignity. The Lord has called me from my mother's womb; He has mentioned my name from within. We are children, sons and daughters of God. Go to the Eucharist and do not take a piece of bread from the altar today to return to the darkness of your old life. Instead, after feeding yourself, share good news with others, even if it may seem naive. He, too, was naive. He went to the cross for Judas, for Peter, and also for me and for you.

 What to do today?
Today, Tuesday, the Church refers in the Gospel to Judas as the one who chose betrayal and to Peter, to whom the Lord revealed that he would deny Him. We often overlook this, but our betrayal of Jesus in our lives does not necessarily mean that we are ashamed to acknowledge Him; we can betray Him within ourselves when we do not allow Him to touch our deepest pains: in our humiliation, unfulfilled hopes, plans, and fears that we carry within us. 

Let Him enter into each of these places today, and express to Him how important it is that His hand appears where suffering exists. His hand was pierced with a nail, and he is not afraid of your pain.

fr. george