Judas conspires with the Chief Priests by Fra Giovanni Angelico
Now the feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was drawing near, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered into Judas, the one surnamed Iscariot, who was counted among the Twelve, and he went to the chief priests and temple guards to discuss a plan for handing him over to them. They were pleased and agreed to pay him money. He accepted their offer and sought a favorable opportunity to hand him over to them in the absence of a crowd. - Luke 22:1-6Wednesday of Holy Week is sometimes called Spy Wednesday because the gospel for today's Mass relates how Judas conspired to betray Christ and hand him over to the authorities for thirty pieces of silver.
Betrayal is a terrible thing. Some years ago, a person I worked with in ministry accused me of betrayal when he lost his position on a parish staff on which I also served. Whether I betrayed my colleague or not was a source of serious disagreement between us and severed our friendship. We saw the circumstances in very different ways. What I will never forget about the event was the accusation of betrayal. That I believed in my heart that I did not betray this person offered me no solace. The reality that someone I respected would name me a betrayer, of going behind his back to do him harm, left a deep and lasting wound. The wound has healed but the scar remains.
Have you been betrayed? Is there someone you have betrayed? Have you been accused of betrayal? On all sides, the accusation of betrayal is, at once, a heavy burden and a deep wound.
Benedictine priest Aidan Kavanagh once wrote of the "night in which Jesus was betrayed by the worst in us all..." Judas, the betrayer, played the part for all of us who have betrayed the love of Christ in betraying one another.
Innocent and without sin, Jesus carried on his shoulders and suffered in his wounds the burden of our betrayal...
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us!
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us!
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
grant us peace!
have mercy on us!
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us!
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
grant us peace!
-Concord Pastor
Not that long ago,a group of fellow parishioners betrayed our pastor and other ministers who worked hard to lead our parish into the future. These folks couldn't accept the changing times. I was a witness to some incredibly ugly actions and lies from "Christians". Our beloved pastor resigned over this. My husband and I,along with others, decided we couldn't remain in that community. It's still too early..the wounds caused from the betrayal have not healed. We're just beginning to get involved again in our new church. I know we will be able to forgive in time, but we will never forget the hurt.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine that you would ever betray anyone, Concord Pastor. It goes against the very fiber of your being. I am sorry that your colleague in his reaction to losing his position wrongly accused you. Perhaps he might read this post and reach out to you. I hope so.
ReplyDelete"I cannot imagine that you would ever betray anyone..."
ReplyDeleteTurning my attention away from the incident I mentioned in my post, I can think of many ways, fortunately, mostly small ones, in which I have betrayed others, myself and my God.
In one very real sense, every sin of mine is a betrayal of God's love for me.
I know that I run a risk when I begin to think that I'm "above" betraying others... Even that is a betrayal of myself who knows myself better than that.
How very true!
ReplyDeleteHow easily these things happen and how the scar remains. I was "betrayed" by a fellow worker in ministry, a pastoral associate who saw what whe perceived as a major error in my work and we spoke about it and I thought, resolved it. When the pastor walked in she promptly went to him with her tale (passive aggressive behavior) and he quickly reacted without checking with me first. This happened a number of years ago and I'm over it, but the scar does remain. Hopefully, it will always serve to remind me never to behave in that fashion to anyone else.
ReplyDeleteTo my mind's eye one of the worst (if not the worst) betrayals is that of infidelity to one's spouse. Trust is at the heart of such an intimate relationship. The wound of betrayal may never heal even if forgiveness has been sought and bestowed.
ReplyDelete