Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 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.”
Betrayal and sale
1. Betrayal. It is a hard, difficult moment when you realize that someone close to you is handing you over. Judas doesn’t see Jesus as the Messiah; he looks at himself and puts himself at the center of everything. Many times, Jesus has been close to you and instead of getting to know him better, you turn your back on him. Just think of the fact that many people have a church nearby and find excuses not to go to Mass, while others have Mass only once a year. How many times have we betrayed Jesus? How often have we set Him aside? When Jesus does not satisfy our desires, we “hand him over” instead of giving ourselves to him.
2. Moments. In life there are moments and moments. Moments of sacrifice and disappointment, and lovely moments of growth. There will be beautiful moments and hard moments in your life. In the tough moments you will feel that those who are closest to you can hurt you.
3. Supper. God reminds us that the Eucharist is our shelter. Prayer, the Eucharist, and fraternity can help us through the worst moments of our life. Don’t neglect these three points and never stop looking for God!
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
