Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 17, 2019
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.””
For me, the hardest part of Confession is confessing habitual sins over and over again. In the act of contrition, when I resolve not to sin again, I know I will probably commit the same sin again and most likely be back the following week to confess it. Am I not lying to Jesus? How can I be forgiven?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “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.” Jesus condemns Judas as his betrayer, yet Peter, who will deny him three times, becomes the foundation of his church! Why?
I wonder at the state of Judas’ heart. “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Judas says, yet he has already sold Jesus to the chief priests. Judas kisses Jesus as a sign of friendliness, even as he leads Jesus’ persecutors to him. Judas seems to be lying to Jesus.
But, in yesterday’s reading, when Peter tells Jesus, “I will lay down my life for you,” Peter is not trying to deceive Jesus; Peter simply overestimates his own character. Peter is loyal to Jesus and weeps when he fails to live up to his love for his Lord.
Judas and Peter also differ in how they react to their own sins. Judas seems to have doubted Jesus’s ability to forgive. In despair, Judas hanged himself. Peter betrayed Jesus, too, but when he saw Jesus, he wept and repented. Peter did not despair, but shared the story of his own fall, so that others might also believe in Jesus.
Am I Peter or am I Judas? I can only hope that I am Peter. Confession is never easy, but in Peter’s example of turning back in repentance to the Lord we have betrayed, I find hope.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you have prepared a seat for us at your banquet. Grant us the grace to live according to your loving commands and never betray the gifts you have poured upon us. We ask this through your most holy name, as you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Innocent was sentenced to become a martyr in the early Church, but he miraculously escaped and became a leader of the Christian community.
He was born in the fourth century to Christian parents living through a persecution in Tortona, which is in the north of Italy. His parents were exempt from the persecution by a special privilege, but that privilege did not extend to their children. When Innocent was a young man, his parents died, and he was brought before the authorities and tried for being Christian.
Innocent refused to sacrifice to the imperial gods, and was tortured and sentenced to die at the stake. The night before he was to be executed, he had a dream in which his father told him to go to Rome at once, where he would be safe.
Innocent woke up from the dream and found his guards asleep. He escaped from the prison and went to Rome. The pope received him and he eventually became a deacon for the community there. After Constantine became emperor and ceased the persecutions, Innocent was sent back to Tortona as bishop. He led the Church there for 28 years, building new churches and spreading the faith.
St. Innocent died around the year 350 and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Innocent, you escaped execution and later become bishop of the city where you were imprisoned—pray for us!