Holy Wednesday
Reflecting on Jesus' actions before his passion and death can teach us valuable behaviors. The Church encourages us to contemplate key events in Jesus' life that took place right before his passion and death. Imitate what He did in today's Gospel.
Holy Wednesday - Judas betrayed Jesus.
Let's start with the Gospel (Mt 26: 14-25)
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
“What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?”
They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says,
"My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another,
“Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply,
“He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me.
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?”
He answered, “You have said so.”
Keep the distance like Jesus did
Feasting with Jesus does not automatically guarantee anything. Going to confession automatically doesn't guarantee anything. We constantly commit the same sin - we betray the Lord. Betrayals can also be different. From the great, when we tell God that we do not want Him, to the worst, hidden, when we stop trusting Him, when we give up the fight for our life and its quality. There is a mechanism in us that, when it comes to sin, we prefer to deal with the sins of others. Lord, who is this? – pointing to others. Yes, we are champions in trying to change others.
I tell you how easy it is (apart from fear and uncertainty) to stand on the pulpit and tell others what is good and how to live. It is easy to say aloud who is angry and who should be condemned for the good of the cause. It is much more difficult to die for another person and to give up life. Life is about acceptance, but sometimes, it can also be about pride, ambition, honor, and time.
I see in Jesus a greater distance to life, to what I would call everyday life. He feels that He is leaving, and this departure is not a sad necessity, but a return to something and someone who is the ultimate fulfillment. I would say that Jesus is increasingly disappointed in human existence. Not frustrated, but as Someone who knows that it is better to be with the Father.
Christianity, in a way, impairs me; I feel more and more that nothing can satisfy me. Everything is getting so shallow. The longer I follow the Lord, though lame, the more I want to leave. God still saturates my heart with hunger, although he feeds me daily with Himself, I will be more and more hungry anyway. Till my death.
What to do today?
Perhaps there is a person in your life or a thing that doesn't give you peace. Maybe someone has hurt you a lot, betrayed you, or chosen something worthless instead of building a relationship with you. Perhaps you lost your honor, pride, and reasonable opinion among other people. Do one thing today, just let it go, and take a step back. When Jesus sees the end of his earthly life approaching, he takes a distance from some issues. Do the same. Believe that your problem is not a problem for God, who is Love. Give him your problem.
fr. george