Year: 2024

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Gospel: Matthew 26: 14-25

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 Gospel of the Lord.

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“Et tu, Brute?” … “And you, Brutus?”

These were the final words spoken by Julius Caesar after being swarmed by Roman senators and stabbed to death in Shakespeare’s famous play, Julius Caesar.

Caesar was preparing to be installed as Emperor of Rome for life, until he was murdered by his colleagues, including his closest friend, Brutus.

“And you, Brutus?”

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Betrayal must be a wrenching feeling, leaving you feeling like the life has been sucked out of you. Someone you love has turned against you, showing you a hidden face, a side you never knew.

Caesar sees the betrayal of Judas as he bleeds, gazing into his friends eyes. 

I wonder what Jesus saw in the eyes of Judas.

“Et tu, Judas?” … “And you, Judas?”

After all Judas has seen Jesus do and hear him say, he betrays him with a kiss. This is humanity at its worst, taking God for granted – perhaps any human being is capable of in different forms.

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Tomorrow, we begin the Triduum – the three-day event encompassing Christ’s betrayal, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.

I imagine him staring at me at the Last Supper, staring at me in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying, “Et tu?”

“And you?”

You know what I’ve done for you. How will we respond? With an insincere kiss like Judas? 

Or with the steadfast love of John the Beloved, who places his head tenderly on the heart of Christ, and remained by his side in his darkest hour, even when John didn’t understand? 

“And you?” 

What does Jesus see when he looks at us?

“And you?”

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Image credits: (1) James Jordan, Medium (2) The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio (3) Christianity.com

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Gospel: John 13:21-38

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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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During Jesus’ final night on earth, he gathers his friends together for a meal, known as the Last Supper.

It’s a dynamic group. And, if we’re honest, at times we may see parts of each of them at work within ourselves.

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There is John, the ever-faithful disciple, whose devotion to Christ is clear. He is the one who leans tenderly on the Lord’s heart, as if the two are one.

That’s each of us at our best – entirely devoted to the Lord, as if our hearts are one.

Then there’s Peter. Peter sways in his devotion like a branch in the wind. One moment he’s ready to die for the Lord. The next he denies ever knowing him. 

Peter wants to be faithful. But fear and temptation can get in his way. At times, aren’t we also Peter? We want to be faithful to Jesus, but fear or temptation impede us. 

Then there’s Judas, the one who betrays Jesus, handing him over for 30 lousy pieces of silver. 

Why did he do this? Was he disappointed that this journey with the Lord didn’t turn out differently? Was he greedy? Perhaps angry that his own dreams of glory have withered? 

We don’t know. But such feelings – greed, anger, disappointment, resentment – can appear in any human heart, especially when we don’t get what we want or hope for.

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There they are: three men sitting at the same table with Jesus.

One was faithful. Another stumbled. The third gave up. 

Yet, the Lord “loved them to the end,” and died for them all, just as he died for us. 

As we prepare for the scandal of Calvary, and the suprise of the empty tomb, in what ways can we be our better selves, leaning tenderly on the heart of Christ, as if the two of us are one? 

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Image credits: (1) Trappists.org (2) CatholicMom.com (3) Jesus and John at the Last Supper, Jozef Sedmak, Fine Art America

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Gospel: John 12: 1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. 
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages
and given to the poor?”
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, “Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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We’ve entered Monday of Holy Week. Jesus is days away from his death.

Appropriately, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus extended a dinner invitation to the Lord, thanking him for all he’s done in their lives, most notably for raising Lazarus from the dead!

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Each person shows their gratitude differently.

Lazarus opens his home. Martha prepares and serves the meal. Mary spends all she has on a costly bottle of perfume, pouring it over Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair.

Three different gestures with the same message: thank you.

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Holy Week will teach us many things about our Lord and the Christian life. But the first lesson on Monday morning is this: be thankful.

In particular, as we journey with Jesus to Calvary and the empty tomb, be grateful for what the resurrection promises: 

Eternal life.

Set aside a quiet moment today and, “Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, for his love endures forever.”

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Image credits: (1) Adobe Stock (2) Mary Washes Jesus’ Feet, Lars Justinen (3) Bible.com