Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 16, 2025
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.”
The phrase “Et tu, Brute?” (“You too, Brutus?”) is attributed to Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s famous play, capturing the profound sense of betrayal and disappointment as he recognized his trusted friend among his assassins. While Caesar had fiercely resisted his attackers, the sight of Brutus, whom he regarded as a son and ally, caused him to lower his defenses, signaling the ultimate collapse of trust. This moment in history reflects a universal human experience—the pain of betrayal by those closest to us—a theme that echoes powerfully in the gospel account of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus.
Judas, one of the Twelve who had walked closely with Jesus, allows himself to be swayed by thirty pieces of silver—a sum that, in the grand scheme of history, seems tragically insignificant. Yet, the true weight of his decision is not in the money exchanged but in the act of turning away from love, truth, and faithfulness. His betrayal is not merely an external act; it is the revelation of an inner disposition that prioritized self-interest over relationship, greed over grace, and power over trust.
And yet, Judas is not the only one at the table who struggles with weakness. The disciples, deeply distressed, ask, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” This question is haunting because it speaks to the universal human tendency to fail in faithfulness. Have we not, at times, chosen self-preservation over integrity? Have we not compromised our beliefs for fleeting rewards?
This passage is not just about Judas; it is about each of us. It calls us to examine our own faithfulness to Christ, to the commitments we have made, and to the people we are called to serve. As we journey through Holy Week, may we choose fidelity over betrayal, humility over pride, and love over self-interest.
Prayer
Father in heaven, while Judas looked for an opportunity to betray him, your Son anticipated his betrayal with steadfast faithfulness to your will. With the days when we commemorate his life-giving death and resurrection nearly upon us, help us to enter into the Triduum with prayerful attentiveness to these stories of our salvation. May our participation in these upcoming liturgies help us to mirror his faithfulness, who lives and reigns with you and the Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
The story of Bernadette and the visions of Mary that she received in Lourdes is well-known. Notre Dame’s own Grotto replicates the Lourdes grotto on a one-seventh scale and is a center of prayer on campus.
Bernadette’s own story, however, is more obscure. She was the oldest of six children born to a poor miller and his wife. The family business did not thrive, and the family lived in poverty. Bernadette had to work instead of going to school, and was hired out as a servant for two years when she was 12. At the time of the visions, the family was living in the basement of a worn-down building in town. On top of her poverty, Bernadette suffered from asthma and was never consistently healthy. People did not think her to be bright.
The apparitions gathered an extreme amount of attention to Bernadette. Anti-clerical French authorities tried to scare her into retracting her account because of the crowds of pilgrims who gathered at the cave where Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, appeared to her. She was questioned and cross-examined and interviewed unceasingly.
In addition, the pilgrims who came to Lourdes sought her out looking for the miraculous. They tried to cut pieces from her dress and they asked her to bless things. Many tried to give her money, but she and her family refused so as to not appear to be profiting from the apparition.
After a few years, Bernadette went to a convent of nuns who cared for the sick and the poor. She was both, so they took her in as a member of their community. They taught her to read and write, though she was often mistreated by her superiors.
When the church was built that Mary had asked for, Bernadette excused herself from the celebration of its consecration. She was always humble and very simple—she compared herself to a broom, saying, “Our Lady used me. They have put me back in my corner. I am happy there.”
She continued to suffer from asthma and other illnesses, and died in the convent at the age of 35 in 1879. She is depicted in a statue at the Grotto on campus, as well as in a stained glass window in the Howard Hall chapel. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus.
St. Bernadette, you received visions of Mary at Lourdes and lived a simple life of humility—pray for us!