20260401 SEEING ALL THINGS IN THE PLAN OF GOD
01 April 2026, Wednesday of Holy Week
First reading | Isaiah 50:4-9 |
Who thinks he has a case against me? Let him approach me
The Lord has given me
a disciple’s tongue.
So that I may know how to reply to the wearied
he provides me with speech.
Each morning he wakes me to hear,
to listen like a disciple.
The Lord has opened my ear.
For my part, I made no resistance,
neither did I turn away.
I offered my back to those who struck me,
my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;
I did not cover my face
against insult and spittle.
The Lord comes to my help,
so that I am untouched by the insults.
So, too, I set my face like flint;
I know I shall not be shamed.
My vindicator is here at hand. Does anyone start proceedings against me?
Then let us go to court together.
Who thinks he has a case against me?
Let him approach me.
The Lord is coming to my help,
who will dare to condemn me?
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 68(69):8-10,21-22,31,33-34 |
In your great love, O Lord, answer my prayers for your favour.
It is for you that I suffer taunts,
that shame covers my face,
that I have become a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother’s sons.
I burn with zeal for your house
and taunts against you fall on me.
In your great love, O Lord, answer my prayers for your favour.
Taunts have broken my heart;
I have reached the end of my strength.
I looked in vain for compassion,
for consolers; not one could I find.
For food they gave me poison;
in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
In your great love, O Lord, answer my prayers for your favour.
I will praise God’s name with a song;
I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
The poor when they see it will be glad
and God-seeking hearts will revive;
for the Lord listens to the needy
and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
In your great love, O Lord, answer my prayers for your favour.
Gospel Acclamation |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Hail to you, our King!
Obedient to the Father, you were led to your crucifixion
as a meek lamb is led to the slaughter.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Or: |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Hail to you, our King!
You alone have had compassion on our sins.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Gospel |
Matthew 26:14-25 |
'The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will'
One of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you prepared to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty silver pieces, and from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray him.
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus to say, ‘Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the passover?’ ‘Go to so-and-so in the city’ he replied ‘and say to him, “The Master says: My time is near. It is at your house that I am keeping Passover with my disciples.”’ The disciples did what Jesus told them and prepared the Passover.
When evening came he was at table with the twelve disciples. And while they were eating he said ‘I tell you solemnly, one of you is about to betray me.’ They were greatly distressed and started asking him in turn, ‘Not I, Lord, surely?’ He answered, ‘Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with me, will betray me. The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!’ Judas, who was to betray him; asked in his turn, ‘Not I, Rabbi, surely?’ ‘They are your own words’ answered Jesus.
SEEING ALL THINGS IN THE PLAN OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 50:4-9; PS 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34; MT 26:14 – 25]
Reading the Gospel today, what was your immediate reaction? Was it one of shock and anger that Judas could have betrayed the Lord? Or was it one of sadness for Judas? Or perhaps we are confronted by our own betrayals — not just of our Lord, but also of our fellow human beings, especially our loved ones, colleagues, and business partners. Indeed, the history of humanity, as seen in the Bible, is a history of betrayals and infidelities. From the beginning of creation, we see Adam and Eve betraying God’s trust in the Garden of Eden. From then on, betrayals grew in number and intensity. Cain betrayed Abel and killed him. Jacob betrayed Esau; Rebekah betrayed Isaac. King David betrayed God and his loyal officer by sending him to the battlefield to be killed in order to cover up his adulterous act with the man’s wife. Throughout the history of Israel, prophet after prophet was rejected, persecuted, and some were even killed when the people were called to repentance.
In our own lives, we, too, have been betrayed. Our children have betrayed our love. When they were young, we made many sacrifices for them. Now that we are old, they ill-treat and abandon us. When they were young, we were tolerant of their foolishness and mistakes, but now they are intolerant of us — of our ignorance, dullness of mind, or slowness in doing things. Many in marriage have suffered greatly, emotionally and mentally, because of betrayal by their spouse. At times, we hear of business partners cheating their companies, or long-serving staff stealing company secrets and customer lists to give to competitors. However, let us be honest — we, too, have betrayed others. So before we condemn those who have betrayed us, let us first take an honest look at ourselves. We would have betrayed our Lord and our loved ones in some way, at some point in our lives.
Why do we betray others? Commentators have provided many reasons as to why Judas betrayed the Lord in the Gospel. Some scholars suggest that Judas was greedy for money, as he was the treasurer of the group and helped himself to the common fund. In his greed, he sold Jesus to His enemies for a mere thirty pieces of silver — the price of a slave (Ex 21:32). Thus, greed is one reason we betray our friends and loved ones. Because of greed, we cheat and manipulate to gain a larger share of our parents’ property. Greed leads us to cheat in business. For the sake of promotion, we betray our colleagues to win our boss’s favour. Indeed, greed is one of the main causes of betrayal.
Another motive suggested for Judas’s betrayal was his desire for power. Judas could not wait to begin a revolution against the tyranny of the Roman occupiers. He was nationalistic and even advocated violence to drive them out. He thought that Jesus, who was triumphantly received upon entering Jerusalem, was the one who could restore the nation of Israel. As the group’s treasurer, he likely expected an honoured place when Jesus came to power. However, when he realised that Jesus’ way was one of non-violence and that the kingdom He was establishing was not an earthly one, he abandoned the Lord. He changed his allegiance. It is telling that while the other disciples addressed Jesus as “Lord,” Judas addressed Him as “Rabbi,” meaning “teacher.” In Judas’s mind, Jesus was no longer his Lord. He had given up on Jesus as the one who would restore the kingdom of David.
In our case, politics — whether in the workplace or even in the Church — often arises because people seek power. If the power sought is to help bring about justice and happiness for all, regardless of race, language, or religion, it is not wrong. In fact, it is a noble pursuit. However, if power is sought to promote oneself, to inflate one’s ego, or to use one’s position to acquire wealth, influence, and prestige, such power will only destroy those under one’s charge and ultimately destroy oneself. We see this kind of political game played out all the time among political leaders, corporate leaders, and even religious leaders. Under the guise of service and religion, we may seek power to control, to dominate, and to rule, so that we can feel good about ourselves and not feel threatened by others.
There is also a third motive suggested for Judas’s betrayal. He wanted Jesus to act according to his own plans and designs. He was impatient, unwilling to wait for Jesus to act against the Romans. He may have hoped that by forcing a confrontation between Jesus and His enemies, Jesus would be compelled to act. However, his plan backfired because Jesus would not take matters into His own hands. Instead, He surrendered Himself to the Father, entrusting everything to Him and allowing His will to be done. Rather than defending Himself, Jesus submitted without a fight. To his horror, Judas saw our Lord led away as a prisoner, interrogated, scourged, and eventually put to death. This was why Judas could not forgive himself for what he had done. Although he repented of his sin, he could not accept forgiveness, and he died a tragic death.
How often have we insisted on having things our own way, too! We do not trust in God’s plan for us. We resist aligning ourselves with His will and wisdom. Instead, we try to make others fit into our plans, and when they do not, we manipulate them and cause them to suffer unjustly. When we take matters into our own hands, we fail to allow the mystery of God’s plan to unfold in our lives. We think we can control everything, but the truth is that God’s plan often surpasses our understanding and control. In the case of Judas, his betrayal did not hinder God’s plan; rather, it contributed to its fulfilment. God’s way of establishing His kingdom was not through power or might, but through humility and death. Jesus had to undergo His passion so that, through His resurrection, He would reveal Himself as Lord over hatred and death.
Therefore, we must not think that the mistakes we make in life will prevent us from realising God’s plan. We have all made, and will continue to make, mistakes. The real difference lies in whether we are willing to acknowledge them and learn from them. Peter and the other apostles also failed when they abandoned the Lord. Peter wept bitterly for denying Him. Yet, because of his repentance and the Lord’s unconditional love, he was forgiven and strengthened to love Christ even to the point of giving his life courageously — something he had failed to do during the Lord’s passion.
In contrast, Judas also betrayed the Lord and felt remorse when he realised the gravity of his actions. However, instead of accepting the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness, instead of turning to the compassionate gaze of Christ, he focused on his shame and ingratitude. He fell into despair and took his own life.
Today, we must not allow Satan to enter our hearts, as Judas did, by closing ourselves to the love of the Lord. Even though Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, He did not expose him to the other apostles, who would have condemned him. Instead, He appealed to Judas’s heart, giving him the opportunity to choose rightly in freedom. Sadly, Judas’s heart remained closed, for as the Gospel tells us, Satan had entered into him (cf. Jn 13:27). St John writes, “After receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night” (Jn 13:30).
The Lord continues to appeal to us, calling us to be reconciled with God, as St Paul says: “So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:20-21).
Therefore, it is never too late to turn back. No matter how much we may have betrayed the Lord or others, we need only open our hearts to His love revealed on the cross, confront our sins honestly and sincerely, and His grace will enter our hearts.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
