They promised to give him thirty pieces of silver; and from then on, he kept looking for
the best way to hand Jesus over to them. On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened
Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare
the Passover meal for you?” Jesus answered, “Go into the city, to the house of a certain
man, and tell him, ‘The Master says: My hour is near, and I will celebrate the Passover
with my disciples in your house.’” The disciples did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared
the Passover meal. When it was evening, Jesus sat at table with the Twelve. While they
were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you: one of you will betray me.” They were deeply
distressed, and they asked him, one after the other, “You do not mean me, do you, Lord?”
He answered, “The one who dips his bread with me will betray me. The Son of Man is
going as the Scriptures say he will. But alas for that one who betrays the Son of Man:
better for him not to have been born.” Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked,
“You do not mean me, Master, do you?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.
Reflect
“Envy and selfishness.” Today is Holy Wednesday and we continue our faith journey
while trying to break the shackles of selfishness. Today’s Gospel narrates how Judas
Iscariot went to the chief priests, asking how much he would get from them if he would
hand Jesus over to them. Why would Judas be wanting for more? Evil is present when
one is not contented with what is given. Envy is the partner of selfishness. Together, they
generate betrayal. How many relationships, to our knowledge, have already been broken
because of envy and selfishness? Christians are called to build relationships and not to
destroy relationships. Christians are challenged to create a climate of trust and not an
atmosphere of betrayal. In these holy days, we are also called to be instruments of
healing whenever there is a broken relationship due to betrayal. Betrayal is painful
but healing is always a possibility. As the Paschal Triduum is fast approaching, may we
be given the grace to truly look inside our deepest core while sincerely asking God to
free us from selfishness and envy and heal us of any wound brought about by an
experience of betrayal.
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