Judas' betrayal of Jesus.

Surely it is not I ?

Today's Gospel (Mt. 26:14-25) is St. Matthew's account of Judas' betrayal of Jesus. In this account, Judas after being identified as the one to betray Jesus questions Him, "Surely is not I Rabbi" (26:25)? Can you imagine the nerve of Judas to actually ask Jesus such a question? After all, he knew what he was going to do and how much he was going to be compensated for doing such a thing. Can you imagine what Jesus was feeling over all this? In reference to His betrayer, Jesus says, "It would be better for that man if he had never been born" (26:24). These are very strong words from Jesus and clearly indicate the severity of Judas' actions and the consequences he may have suffered as a result.

Yesterday, the Gospel was St. John's account on this betrayal. We are being reminded of just how much this hurt Jesus and how not to cause Jesus such distress. We do this each time we fall into sin, especially mortal sin. When we fall, we betray Jesus. If we put this into proper perspective, we should never want to do anything that will cause Jesus such pain and torment. Yes, we know the Lord is always willing to forgive us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. However, we should also appreciate the love Jesus has for us and allow this to become our motivation to do our best to avoid falling into sin. We need to make sure our lives are in conformity with the values exemplified by the Lord Himself.

Today we pray for the grace to be strong in times of temptation. Through God's grace and the promptings of the Holy Spirit may we not place ourselves in the near occasion of sin. May we do all in our power to resist the temptations of the Devil and remain on the pathway of righteousness.

God bless you always,
~ Fr. Michael J. Slusz