20250415 THE DECISION
15 April 2025, Tuesday of Holy Week
First reading | Isaiah 49:1-6 |
I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth
Islands, listen to me,
pay attention, remotest peoples.
The Lord called me before I was born,
from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.
He made my mouth a sharp sword,
and hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me into a sharpened arrow,
and concealed me in his quiver.
He said to me, ‘You are my servant (Israel)
in whom I shall be glorified’;
while I was thinking, ‘I have toiled in vain,
I have exhausted myself for nothing’;
and all the while my cause was with the Lord,
my reward with my God.
I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord,
my God was my strength.
And now the Lord has spoken,
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
to gather Israel to him:
‘It is not enough for you to be my servant,
to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;
I will make you the light of the nations
so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 70(71):1-6,15,17 |
My lips will tell of your help.
In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, free me:
pay heed to me and save me.
My lips will tell of your help.
Be a rock where I can take refuge,
a mighty stronghold to save me;
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
Free me from the hand of the wicked.
My lips will tell of your help.
It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, since my youth.
On you I have leaned from my birth,
from my mother’s womb you have been my help.
My lips will tell of your help.
My lips will tell of your justice
and day by day of your help.
O God, you have taught me from my youth
and I proclaim your wonders still.
My lips will tell of your help.
Gospel Acclamation |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
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 and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel |
John 13:21-33,36-38 |
'What you are going to do, do quickly'
While at supper with his disciples, Jesus was troubled in spirit and declared, ‘I tell you most solemnly, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, wondering which he meant. The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus; Simon Peter signed to him and said, ‘Ask who it is he means’, so leaning back on Jesus’ breast he said, ‘Who is it, Lord?’ ‘It is the one’ replied Jesus ‘to whom I give the piece of bread that I shall dip in the dish.’ He dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. At that instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’ None of the others at table understood the reason he said this. Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival’, or telling him to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. Night had fallen.
When he had gone Jesus said:
‘Now has the Son of Man been glorified,
and in him God has been glorified.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will in turn glorify him in himself,
and will glorify him very soon.
‘My little children,
I shall not be with you much longer.
You will look for me,
And, as I told the Jews,
where I am going, you cannot come.’
Simon Peter said, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus replied, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now; you will follow me later.’ Peter said to him, ‘Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ ‘Lay down your life for me?’ answered Jesus. ‘I tell you most solemnly, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.’
THE DECISION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 49:1-6; PS 71:1-6,15,17; JOHN 13:21-38]
In the first reading, we have the call of the Suffering Servant, which could refer both to an individual and to the nation of Israel. “The Lord called me before I was born, from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.” This call is not limited to the Suffering Servant. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah, and St Paul recounted in similar terms that the Lord called them even before they were born. In a certain way, we are all called by the Lord to fulfil our vocation on this earth. We have been given a task to be fulfilled.
In the case of the Suffering Servant, God prepared him for his mission by giving him the gift of speech. “He made my mouth a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow, and concealed me in his quiver.” In our own calling too, God would have bestowed upon us some charisms to prepare us for the task before us. For some, God gives eloquence to teach or preach, for others, the ability to reach out to people and connect with them; and for others skills that can help to make this world a better place. We know our vocation and what we are called to by the charisms we have received from the Lord.
However, we are not to work alone. We are also called as a community of people, a nation, a church, to collectively fulfil the divine plan for humanity, which is to bring all humanity into one family with God as their Father. And our task, like Israel, is to be a light to all the nations. “And now the Lord has spoken, he who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to him: ‘It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth’.” Our common mission is to be a light to all the nations so that we can bring them to Christ our Saviour. Regardless of the specific charisms and particular calling in our life, whatever we do must ultimately help to fulfil God’s dream for humanity to be one in Him.
From this perspective, we can imagine how the first reading applies in a special way to Jesus who is the Messiah. He was called to bring the love of His Father to the world. He began by concretely sharing His Father’s love with His inner circle, the Twelve apostles. His vision was to build up the apostles’ faith and love for God so that they could continue His mission even after His death. So the task of Jesus was to bring light to Israel and Israel as a community will bring the light to the nations so that God’s salvation can reach to the ends of the earth.”
We see how Jesus shows His love and mercy for us in the way He treated his apostles, including Judas. Jesus understands that we are weak and as a result often allow our fears to mislead us. This was the case of Judas. Being a revolutionary, he wanted very much to liberate Israel from their pagan conqueror, the Romans. He wanted Israel to regain her freedom and be restored to the glory of the Kingdom of David. But he was impatient with our Lord as He did not seem to see the urgency and failed to seize the opportunity to strike when the iron was hot because the people were all behind Him. Instead, He was allowing the opportunity to slip away. But Jesus continued to draw Judas back to His friendship. “He dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.” He was giving another opportunity for Judas to repent by offering him His sincere friendship. Instead of reciprocating His love, he allowed Satan to enter into him. “At that instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him.”
As a last attempt to win him over, Jesus then said, “What you are going to do, do quickly”. In other words, the Lord was telling him to decide for Him or for the Evil One. The Lord was not encouraging him to go and betray Him. Unfortunately, he allowed Satan to win him over for “as soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. Night had fallen.” Indeed, night is a symbol of evil. When misdeeds are done, they are always done under the cover of darkness. When we give ourselves to Satan, we will no longer be able to walk in truth and in love.
Lest, we think that Judas was the only guilty one to betray the Lord, we are wrong. Often, we think that we could never betray our Lord. This was the case of Peter when the Lord who “was troubled in spirit and declared, ‘I tell you most solemnly, one of you will betray me’. The disciples looked at one another, wondering which he meant. The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus; Simon Peter signed to him and said, ‘Ask who it is he means’, so leaning back on Jesus’ breast he said, ‘Who is it, Lord?'” Indeed, we always think that others would betray our Lord, but not we. The other apostles, whilst not deliberately seeking to betray Him, did so by denying Him in front of His interrogators and running away for their safety rather than standing up for Jesus. This was what the Lord said when “Simon Peter said, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus replied, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now; you will follow me later’. Peter said to him, ‘Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ ‘Lay down your life for me?’ answered Jesus. ‘I tell you most solemnly, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.'” Of course, for Peter, it was unthinkable that he would be unfaithful to his master, and so did the rest. The evangelist Matthew recounted what Peter said to him, “‘Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And so said all the disciples.” (Mt 26:35)
What about us? Are we so sure like Peter and the apostles that we will not betray our Lord? The truth is that we have failed miserably and we will fail again and again. Not just ordinary Catholics who sin against the Lord by doing evil things, but even committed Catholics and church leaders who lack the courage to proclaim the truth of the gospels. We want to find acceptance by the world. We want to compromise the truth of the scriptures so that it is more acceptable to people in the world today. We are afraid that if we teach what the gospel is telling us, we might not only lose our popularity but we will lose our members. So in the name of being inclusive, we welcome everyone and tell them that they do not have to change their lifestyles; that they can continue with their values and lifestyles because the Lord understands, and the gospel must not be interpreted so narrowly as cultures and situations have changed. Instead of allowing the gospel to inform us the kind of life we must live, we impose our lifestyles on the gospel.
But that is not the way to glory as our Lord said it clearly. “When he had gone Jesus said: ‘Now has the Son of Man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified. If God has been glorified in him, God will in turn glorify him in himself, and will glorify him very soon. ‘My little children, I shall not be with you much longer. You will look for me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come.'” Our task is to glorify the Father, which is what we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Holy be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done.” We need to ask whether our lifestyle and what we are teaching truly reflect the glory of God or cause His name to be defiled. Through the prophet Ezekiel, He said, “I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I display my holiness before their eyes.” (Ez 36:23)
Indeed, as God promised the Suffering Servant when he felt that he was toiling in vain because his message was rejected by the Lord, the Lord also assures us, “‘You are my servant (Israel) in whom I shall be glorified’; while I was thinking, ‘I have toiled in vain, I have exhausted myself for nothing’; and all the while my cause was with the Lord, my reward with my God. I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord, my God was my strength.” Have faith, be firm!
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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