COLLECT: “ALMIGHTY EVER-LIVING GOD, GRANT US SO TO CELEBRATE THE MYSTERIES OF THE LORD’S PASSION THAT WE MAY MERIT TO RECEIVE YOUR PARDON. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Is 49:1-6; Ps 70:1-6,15,17 and Jn 13:21-33,36-38.
In today’s Gospel, apart from Jesus, two of his disciples are major characters. These are Simon Peter and Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. A brief comparison of the characters of Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot could help us, especially those of us who are sinners, or who fall into any of these two characters, to retrace our bearing as followers of Jesus.
Both of them were chosen, called and loved by Jesus as his disciples. Both of them also fell into sin. Simon Peter did not deliberately plan to betray or deny Jesus. Rather he denied Jesus in a moment of human weakness, frailties and out of cowardice. Simon Peter was himself, no pretence, no guile and no qualms. Simon Peter repented when he realised he had fallen into sin by weeping bitterly and also by declaring before the Resurrected Lord to depart from him for he was a sinner. He was forgiven for that.
Judas Iscariot for his part, deliberately planned to betray and betray Jesus his master. He betrayed Jesus out of love for money. Judas had a ‘catty’ attitude (‘Ninsaal kokolaa’, ‘Ninsaal bang-puori-kong-bang-puo’, ‘Ninsaal-bakye-bambo’). Cats like to play with people as if they are their best friends but they can also be downright offensive. They can cause a lot of disaster to you as they can soil your bed and eat up your fish in particular. You never can tell the destruction they can cause at any given time. Judas pretended to have loved Jesus, taking offence at the wastage of the costly oil that Mary used to anoint Jesus, sitting at Jesus’ left-hand side at the table, Jesus handing a morsel of bread to him after dipping it and eventually using an external sign of love (a kiss) to betray Jesus. Judas was a self-seeker and a selfish person, only thinking of himself and his personal gains. Worse of all, when he realised he had sinned, pride and arrogance did not allow him to humbly come back to Jesus to repent and ask for forgiveness.
Sin will always send us into darkness to indulge in more evil and satanic activities. This was Judas’ fate. We can be delivered and get out of darkness and evil activities if we humbly acknowledge our weaknesses, frailties and cowardice before the Lord of Light, repent and ask for mercy and forgiveness. This was what Simon Peter did. Since charity begins at home, let us humbly start our acts and demonstrations of repentance and forgiveness at our human level, especially the evil things we have done to destroy fellow human beings, to destroy our families and workplaces. As we continue our self-examination during this Passion/Holy Week of Jesus our Lord and Saviour, let us not be like Judas who allowed pride and arrogance to send him into complete damnation but that we may be like Simon Peter who acknowledged his sinfulness and weakness and was pardoned for that.
Let me make a very quick personal reflective note here. When Judas realised Jesus had been condemned, he deeply regretted what he had done. Therefore, he returned the 30 pieces of silver to the priests and elders he sold Jesus for, saying “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood” (Cf. Mt 27:3ff). However, (maybe out of pride) he did not tell Jesus he had sinned. Peter, on the other hand, was humbled enough to be remorseful and sorry after sinning. There is a great lesson for you and me to learn from this. There are certain sins (mortal/deadly sins) that when we commit them, only God can forgive us through the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation. It will not just be a matter of telling someone your sins, like Judas telling the priests and elders he had sinned, but confessing to the Lord, represented by the Priest in the Confessional. Only then, will the Lord, through the Prayer of Absolution, absolve your sins. Once again, may we be like Peter and not like Judas. Stay blessed by the Lord.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, TUESDAY, ON THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES: ‘THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN, THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR, THE CROWNING WITH THORNS, THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS AND THE CRUCIFIXION’ (WE PRAY FOR SORROW FOR SIN, PURITY, COURAGE, PATIENCE, AND PERSEVERANCE) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “NOURISHED BY YOUR SAVING GIFTS, WE BESEECH YOUR MERCY, LORD, THAT BY THIS SAME SACRAMENT, WITH WHICH YOU HAVE FED US IN THE PRESENT AGE YOU MAY MAKE US PARTAKERS OF LIFE ETERNAL. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863.
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