“Turn to God for Forgiveness” by Colleen O’Sullivan

“Turn to God for Forgiveness” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Wednesday of Holy Week

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)

For your sake I bear insult, and shame covers my face.  I have become an outcast to my brothers, a stranger to my mother’s sons because zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.  (Psalm 69:8-10)

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.  (Matthew 26:14-16)

Piety

Lord, we come to you, no silver coins in our pockets, only remorse and sorrow in our hearts.  Forgive us our many betrayals of you, we pray.

Study

Kiss of Judas Iscariot, stained glass window at l'église Saint-Yves de La Roche-Maurice, French Ministry of Culture, Creative Commons Lic., Wikimedia Commons

We are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and probably will be for some time to come.  I, for one, am grateful for our Church’s liturgical calendar and Holy Week in particular.   We may not physically be in church for the Triduum, but the Scripture readings and the opportunity to participate in the familiar liturgies via Facebook, the internet, or television, remind us that we are loved by God and, rooted in a bigger reality than coronavirus will ever be.

The story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is a sad, sad story all ways around.  Most likely Judas didn’t actually change the course of history.  People far more powerful than Judas had had it out for Jesus for a long time.    

 Eventually, someone was going to succeed at entrapping this itinerant preacher/Messiah if only on trumped-up charges, seize him and attempt to make sure he never saw the light of day again. 

It's sad for Jesus.  He had more left to say to us about his Father, more love and forgiveness to give, more healing power to share with the sick and the lame, but it wasn’t to be.  Jesus was truly the Suffering Servant.  He accepted what was heaped upon him and never fought back.  How it must have hurt him that a member of his own inner circle put the final nail in his coffin?  Nevertheless, he accepted the will of his Father.

It’s sad for Judas.  He’s hardly the only one to betray Jesus during Holy Week.  Look at Peter, three times denying knowing our Lord hours after he said that would never happen.  Look at the rest of the disciples running and hiding.  The saddest part of Judas’ story is that he confessed his sin to the wrong persons.  When he saw Jesus condemned and realized the enormity of what he had done, he attempted to give the silver coins back to the chief priests and elders, saying he had sinned by betraying innocent blood.  They refused to take the money back.  And Judas went and hanged himself.   If only he had realized that Jesus could have forgiven him.  Not one of the disciples stood by Jesus during his trial, yet he forgave all the rest and called them friends again after the Resurrection.  That could have been Judas’ story, too.

Action

The shame Judas felt is what we take to prayer today, because we, too, have betrayed our Lord.  Every time we sin, we turn away from the One who has shown us nothing but love and mercy.  Go to Jesus in prayer with open hands, offering contrition for all the times we have sinned.  Trust in Jesus to look at each of us with eyes full of compassion and forgiveness.