Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 30, 2021
Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?”
Jesus answered,
“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
“Buy what we need for the feast,”
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.
When he had left, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,
and he will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”
Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him,
“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later.”
Peter said to him,
“Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times.”
Who betrays Jesus? If we learned anything from Palm Sunday, we know that we all do.
One of the most powerful aspects of the Passion reading on Palm Sunday (which is observed in some places) is when the assembly takes the part of the crowd and we say, “crucify him.” We all acclaim Jesus when we sing “Hosanna” at the entrance procession and we all condemn him when we say “crucify him.” This always reminds me that our sinfulness places us side by side with the people who condemned our Lord. Luckily, our sinfulness does not have the final word in this story. God’s mercy does.
In this reading from the Gospel of John, Judas plays a central role. He leaves the table and sets in motion the final drama of Jesus’ execution. When we think of the question, “who betrays Jesus?” the first, most clear answer that comes to mind is simple: Judas. And yet, Peter’s betrayal is also foretold in the very same passage. Even as he promises to lay down his life for Jesus, he is told that he will deny Jesus three times. From the one most notorious sinner in human history to the rock of the Church, we all betray our Lord.
I have always found it interesting that the Catholic lectionary reads the full Passion narrative on Palm Sunday and Good Friday. It’s almost as if the Passion reading at the beginning of Holy Week introduces the full theme of our journey from Palm Sunday to Good Friday and then we go back through the events leading up to the crucifixion, like a tragedy playing out in slow motion. Holy Week is not an easy journey. Today’s gospel reading shows us that we all betray Jesus, like Judas and Peter. Judas turns his back on Jesus in a final and permanent way. Peter betrays Jesus through his weakness and failure to understand. Sin is inevitable. But will we sin like Judas or sin like Peter?
Prayer
On this Tuesday of Holy Week, Lord Jesus, we hear of the betrayal you suffered from Judas and of the foolish boasts of Peter. Their actions seem only to have reinforced your sense that you would suffer after being abandoned by many. Forgive our betrayals, our foolishness, our unwillingness to attend to those in need. May we learn not to fear suffering, and share your own openness to God’s will. You live and reign with the Father and the Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. John was a seventh-century monk who was known as “the Scholar” until people referred to him after his famous written work, the Ladder (“Klimax”) of Divine Ascent.
Scholars believe he came from Palestine and was a student of St. Gregory Nazianzen. When John was 16, he joined a community of monks living on Mt. Sinai. He was placed under the direction of an older monk, who helped him master his desires and behavior.
When John was 35, his mentor died, and he went to live in a hermitage. He spent the next 40 years seeking perfection in solitude and prayer and study—it is said that he was one of the most learned of the desert fathers.
Many people sought him out for spiritual direction because of his wisdom. He had a gift for helping people find healing for their troubled and disordered souls.
Over time, he collected his insights into his work, the Ladder of Divine Ascent, which described 30 degrees towards attaining spiritual perfection—the first being renunciation and the last being full incorporation of the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. The work had a profound effect on the development of Christian spirituality. The icon shown here depicts St. John leading monks up a ladder that leads to Jesus.
When John was 70, the abbot of a nearby monastery passed away, and John was selected to replace him. When a severe drought devastated the region, the people asked him to pray for relief, and rain came. John was so well-known at the time that Pope St. Gregory the Great wrote to him to ask for his prayers, and to send resources to assist the monastery in hosting the many pilgrims who traveled there to be in the presence of the holy man. John died in 649 of old age.
St. John Climacus, you sought perfection in the desert and left behind a profound guide to spirituality, pray for us!
Image Credit: (1) Our featured image of St. John Climacus is in the public domain. Modified from the original. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons. (2) The icon "Ladder of Divine Ascent" is also in the public domain. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
