Wednesday of Holy Week
By Colleen O'Sullivan
The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; And I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. (Isaiah 50:4-6)
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak,
I looked for sympathy but there was none;
For consolers, not one could I find. (Psalm 69:21)
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.” (Matthew 26:20-25)
Piety
Lord, when it comes to betrayal, let me not point fingers, for I, too, am guilty. Forgive me, I pray.
Study
Have you ever been betrayed by someone you’ve trusted, someone you’ve invited into your heart, someone you’ve loved? If so, you can imagine what Jesus is feeling in today’s Gospel reading. He’s celebrating Passover with his innermost circle of friends, people he handpicked to share his ministry. He knows this is the last time they will eat together. This final meal caps three years of loving them, teaching them about his Father’s Kingdom, revealing himself to them as the Son of God, and preparing them to carry on his work when he is gone. Jesus shared with them everything he received from the Father, the greatest gift he had to give.
Yet, here they are, such close friends, sitting around the table, dipping their hands into the same dish as Jesus, and what are they discussing? Not friendship, but betrayal. As they’re eating, Jesus says that one of them will betray him. Jesus, I’m sure, is aware that Judas has already sold him out. He knows that they will all fall asleep while he agonizes in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, that Peter will deny knowing him, that the others will desert him in his final hours.
Were we all sitting around the table with them, our reactions would have to echo those of Jesus’ first disciples. Are you talking about me, Lord? Because deep within our hearts, we know we have all betrayed Jesus at one time or another – abandoned our faith, forgotten to pray, found something other to do than participate in Mass on Sunday, neglected the needs of the sick, the lonely, and the poor in our midst.
What is Jesus’ reaction to betrayal? Where we might be hurt, angry, vengeful, or afraid to trust again, Jesus simply continues to pour out his love upon us. Like the suffering servant in today’s reading from Isaiah, Jesus keeps his ear attuned to his Father’s word. He submits to totally undeserved suffering without complaint. On the Cross, Luke says he even prays for forgiveness for us before he finally dies for our sins.
Action
Imagine yourself eating that Passover meal with Jesus and his first disciples. What would your reaction be to Jesus’ announcement that one of you would betray him? Ask the Lord for forgiveness for all the times you’ve fallen asleep when he needed you, or turned your back on him when he called you, or turned a cold shoulder to the needs of others. The Good News is that Jesus’ love for us exceeds all our betrayals and that through his death and resurrection, he offers us forgiveness and redemption.
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