Love and Betrayal- Spy Wednesday

No-one wants to be betrayed, used, ghosted, thrown aside. Yet in this week which unfolds we will witness the greatest betrayal and the greatest love- side by side. On the journey of this Holy Week, we have arrived at the day which has come to be known as Spy Wednesday where Judas Iscariot finalises the plans which will cost Jesus his life.  Judas would betray and use. Yet, Jesus knew exactly who would betray Him but still He continued to love Judas. He cared intensely for Judas. He was discouraged. He hurt. He felt pain. He wept. He loved Judas even when Judas was enshrouded by darkness because: “the light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5). 

The readings which we hear today at Mass, although heavy with the impending doom of the death of Jesus, should also bring us hope and relief.  God loves us so much.  We should be both overwhelmed by what our sinfulness has done to our relationship with God and also touched by the extremes to which God goes in order to bring us into a closer, restored relationship.  

During this Holy Week, it might be good to take some time to see how at times we can 'betray' others by our words or actions, our silence and our passive aggressivity. Into that space we ask for God's gracious mercy. 

Or maybe the Lord is calling us to forgive someone who has betrayed us and hurt us badly. Each one of us at some stage of our lives have had our trust broken or have been betrayed. Often it is not easy to bounce back as we fear that a new relationship or friendship will end up the same way as soon as we let down our guard. As we journey through life may we seek out relationships of mutual trust and respect, people who build us up rather than destroy us. When confronted by betrayal, may our response be like that of Jesus, one of love and not anger or bitterness or seeking to get even or make the other suffer. 

All these are ways of preparing for our Resurrection on Easter Sunday where we can break forth from all that holds us captive in the cocoon of death.