20160323 THE ONE WHO BETRAYS, BETRAYS HIMSELF
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah 50:4-9 ©
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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?
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
68:8-10,21-22,31,33-34 ©
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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.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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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!
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Or
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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!
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Gospel
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Matthew 26:14-25
©
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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.
THE ONE
WHO BETRAYS, BETRAYS HIMSELF
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ ISAIAH 50:4-9;
MATTHEW 26:14-25 ]
“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.” These poignant words of Jesus expressed
His disappointment and great sorrow for them. Yet, it was not Jesus who was in
distress. He was very calm. Rather, the disciples were in distress. This is
ironical.
Betrayal
is one of the most painful realities of life. It must be said that everyone has
experienced betrayal and betrayed someone. There are many kinds of
betrayal. We have the betrayal of confidentiality when private information is
shared with others and worse still, with our enemies and competitors.
There is of course betrayal in terms of responsibilities, when as superiors or
parents we fail to be responsible to our subordinates and children.
Irresponsibility in our duties and work is another form of betrayal because
people trust us and depend on us to do our part. Then there is betrayal
in terms of finance and misappropriation of funds.
But
the greatest betrayal is that of friendship between two persons, the worst of
which is in marriage. This is aptly expressed by the psalmist. “If this had been done by an enemy
I could bear his taunts. If a rival had risen against me, I
could hide from him. But it is you, my own companion, my intimate friend!
How close was the friendship between us! We walked together in
harmony in the house of God.” (Ps 55) Indeed, how
painful to be betrayed by those you love most. For this reason,
infidelity in marriage is intolerable. “The traitor has turned
against his friends; he has broken his word. His speech is softer than
butter, but war is in his heart. His words are smoother than oil, but they are
naked swords.”
How
do we deal with betrayal? Understandably, our immediate reaction is disbelief and dismay.
Very soon, it turns to anger, resentment and hatred. Sometimes, we can
become vindictive too. However, such reaction will only hurt us even
more. So we must try to understand the cause of betrayal and how to
handle them proactively. What is the cause of betrayal? Often,
betrayal is due to weakness, selfishness, fear, and the sins of man. But
at the end of the day, all forms of betrayal are fundamentally a betrayal of
self. By betraying others, we betray ourselves most of all. The one
who betrays, betrays himself. He shows that he is not faithful to his
identity and principles in life. By so doing, it leads to disgust
and self-hatred. Many of us cannot forgive ourselves for the mistakes we
have done. It can even lead to suicide as in the case of Judas.
Hence,
today, the Lord shows us that the way to deal with betrayal is not with hatred
but love, compassion and forgiveness. He tried to win over Judas by appealing to the power of
love. But Judas unfortunately was blinded by pride, money and
success. We read that Judas 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.”
But Jesus’ response was one of patience and sorrow for him. Indeed, the
only way to overcome our enemies is by love. When we retaliate, we only
reinforce their hatred and dislike for us. But when we overcome them by
love, their hearts will melt and even if they are not changed today, patient
love will bring them to realization that we are not against them but for
them. If they see us as their enemies, they will only seek to destroy us
and there is no contrition of heart.
So
how do we forgive those who betray us? Firstly, let us remember that we
have also betrayed others by what we do and say. We are not exempted. We must not
behave like the apostles who said, “Surely not I, Lord!” In
different ways and circumstances, we too have betrayed the trust of our
superiors, bosses, parents and friends. We have not always lived up to
their confidence and trust in us. But it is difficult to admit humbly
that we too are traitors like Judas. This explains why they were in
distress when Jesus made the remark. “They were greatly distressed and
started asking him in turn, ‘Not I, Lord, surely?’”
Secondly,
to forgive those who betray us, we need to seek forgiveness for our own sins of
betrayal first, so that from the mercy we receive, we can extend to
others. We can
be like Peter who received Christ’s forgiveness and was healed. Instead
of condemning himself, St Peter was receptive to the forgiveness of
Christ. We too who acknowledge our own acts of betrayal must also extend
the same forgiveness we have received to others.
Where
do we draw strength to forgive if not from Christ Himself? The Lord
drew strength from the Suffering Servant of Isaiah by not taking revenge.
“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.” We too must not react with anger or
revenge. The message of non-violence, forgiveness and humble
suffering is the way of the gospel. “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. 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.”
By
suffering for them and with Christ, we will win them over by our love and
compassion. Indeed,
Jesus looked sorrowfully at the eyes of Peter when the cock crew. It was
at this point, that his conscience was pricked. Earlier on, he had
betrayed Jesus by denying Him three times before people of no
standing. But because of the forgiveness of Jesus, he was converted
and touched and repented.
We
need to pray daily to ask God to give us the grace of forgiveness to those who
betray us. If we
were to find strength and wisdom to deal with traitors, we must seek the word
of God to inspire and guide us. As the suffering servant said, “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.” With the
psalmist, we pray, “Entrust your cares to the Lord and he will support
you. He will never allow the just man to stumble. But you, O God, will bring
them down to the pit of death.” The response says, “In your great love, O
Lord, answer my prayers for your favour.”
In
the final analysis, let us have confidence that God will vindicate us at the
end of the day. It is not for us to take judgment into our own
hands. As St
Paul says, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is
noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live
peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for
the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the
Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give
them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their
heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12:17-21)
If
we call Jesus “Lord” then let us trust that He will justify us and deliver
us. “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? They shall all go
to pieces like a garment devoured by moths.” Judas cut himself from
Christ by addressing Him “rabbi” instead of “Lord” unlike the rest of the
apostles. “Judas, who was to betray him; asked in his turn, ‘Not I,
Rabbi, surely?’ ‘They are your own words’ answered Jesus.” He did not believe
He was the Lord of life. Hence, he was impatient with Jesus’ non-violent
and passive response to the Romans. So he decided to take things into his
own hands by provoking Jesus to act rather than to trust in Him.
So
with Jesus and the prophets of God, let us pray instead, “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.” Indeed, “As
for me, I will cry to God and the Lord will save me. Evening, morning and
at noon I will cry and lament. He will deliver my soul in peace in the attack
against me; for those who fight me are many, but he hears my voice. God will
hear and will humble them, the eternal judge: for they will not
amend their ways. They have no fear of God.” (Ps 55)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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