DAILY READINGS AND REFLECTION
Wednesday (8 April 2020) in Holy Week
First reading
Isaiah 50:4-9 – Who thinks he has a case against me? Let him approach me
THE Lord has given me a disciple’s tongue. So that I may know how to reply to the wearied he provides me with speech. Each morning he wakes me to hear, to listen like a disciple. The Lord has opened my ear.
For my part, I made no resistance, neither did I turn away. I offered my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who tore at my beard; I did not cover my face against insult and spittle.
The Lord comes to my help, so that I am untouched by the insults. So, too, I set my face like flint; I know I shall not be shamed.
My vindicator is here at hand. Does anyone start proceedings against me? Then let us go to court together. Who thinks he has a case against me? Let him approach me.
The Lord is coming to my help, who will dare to condemn me?
Gospel
Matthew 26:14-2 – ‘The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will’
ONE of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you prepared to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty silver pieces, and from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray him.
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus to say, ‘Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the passover?’ ‘Go to so-and-so in the city’ he replied ‘and say to him, “The Master says: My time is near. It is at your house that I am keeping Passover with my disciples”.’ The disciples did what Jesus told them and prepared the Passover.
When evening came he was at table with the twelve disciples. And while they were eating he said ‘I tell you solemnly, one of you is about to betray me.’ They were greatly distressed and started asking him in turn, ‘Not I, Lord, surely?’
He answered, ‘Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with me, will betray me. The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!’ Judas, who was to betray him; asked in his turn, ‘Not I, Rabbi, surely?’ ‘They are your own words’ answered Jesus.
REFLECTION
BOTH the readings today (Isaiah 50:4-7, Matthew 26:14-25) have been read last Passion Sunday, the Gateway/Initiation to Holy Week – the gospel in the Passion according to Matthew, the first reading from Isaiah without the two added verses today (Is 50:4-9).
Christ who was innocent was betrayed but willingly accepted His fate; Judas the betrayer who directly brought about the death of Christ. This has to be a very important theme because today, for the second consecutive day the gospel touches on the betrayal of Judas. Yesterday from John’s account, today from Matthew’s.
Today, not once upon a time, the living Word actually speaks of CHRIST and US: Christ who willingly, indeed lovingly, accepted death, and He did so for us; we, the Judases who have betrayed Him, who have made His atoning death necessary. We need to be real and humble, not defensive and self-righteous when we are told twice of our guilt in two days during Holy Week.
The greatest sin is not to admit we have sinned and betrayed God.
The Word does not just want to make us feel guilty for the sake of pointing God’s finger at us and nailing us. God does not desire the death of a sinner. God wishes us to know our betrayal, our need to turn to His boundless Mercy and thankfully receive and appreciate the price and prize of our salvation.
Without acknowledging our sin, we will not gain anything this Paschal Triduum, for Christ Himself said He has come not for the righteous, but for sinners (only).
About Christ
Isaiah in the first reading prophesized that the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, is the true and fully trained disciple. God opened his ear to listen to Him. From what he heard and believed, he spoke with a disciple’s tongue for the sake of those who are also tested and tried in their faithfulness to God.
His speaking came from his attentive and obedient and daily listening. He listened and understood and accepted the unjust persecution befallen on him. He therefore would suffer with a good conscience, and remained completely confident and unashamed. “Who thinks he has a case against me? Let him approach me. The Lord is coming to my help, who will dare to condemn me?”
About Judas
Yesterday St. John presented a kinder Jesus to Judas for his betrayal. Today, St. Matthew is brutal. Of him, Jesus said: ‘alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!’
Was Judas lost? Did he go to hell? Much debate and controversy have arisen from this question. Those who don’t believe in hell and tend to abuse God’s infinite mercy, say that Jesus pronounced this curse before Judas hanged himself. Is it not possible, that when the time actually came, Judas who had already repented for his betrayal, by the merciful grace of God also at the split of the last second, made an act of contrition for killing himself? However, those who take hell and human free will more seriously (both an article of faith for Catholics!) say that it’s exactly what Jesus said, better for him not to have been born. But, let’s leave Judas to himself and to God. We need to look at ourselves.
How and why did Judas fall? The Gospel of St. Matthew clearly implies that Judas sold Jesus for greed and love of money (power, name, pleasure). St Paul says: “For the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tm 6:10). For what and how do you and I betray Jesus? But do we accept that we have betrayed God? Look at today’s gospel!
Both yesterday and today we have been told that Jesus was very troubled at the Last Supper Jesus because He was “going away”. His pain however was greatly compounded because He was betrayed by one of His own, his 12 chosen ones, his inner circle, now sharing the same table with Him. All the 12 were “greatly distressed and started asking him in turn, ‘Not I, Lord, surely?’”
Yesterday Jesus told John the beloved disciple that the traitor was the one He would give the piece of bread He had dipped into the dish. And He gave it to Judas.
But today, Jesus also pointed out clearly who the traitors were: ‘Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with me, will betray me.’ Now, it can be understood that EVERYONE had dipped into that that common dish at the Last Supper. All 12 were traitors. So are we!
The greatest sin is not to admit we have sinned and betrayed God. If we have not sinned, we accuse God to be a liar, for He came to save sinners (1 Jn 1:10). We say He came for nothing; there was no need for Him to come!
Christ needs to come, to come to save each of us sinners. Let’s have that humble and contrite attitude this Holy Week and bring it to be transformed into the glorious praise and thanksgiving for the saving victory God has won for us sinners at Easter.
Prayer:
“A humble and contrite heart O Lord you will not spurn.” (x 9). (Ps 51:17)
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