Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Matthew 26:14-25
April 13, 2022 | Wednesday

Today’s Gospel

Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “How much will you give me if I hand him over to you?” They promised to give him thirty pieces of silver; and from then on, he kept looking for the best way to hand Jesus over to them.

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” Jesus answered, “Go into the city, to the house of a certain man, and tell him, ‘The Master says: My hour is near, and I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples in your house.’”

The disciples did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover meal.

When it was evening, Jesus sat at table with the Twelve. While they were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you: one of you will betray me.” They were deeply distressed, and they asked him, one after the other, “You do not mean me, do you, Lord?”

He answered, “The one who dips his bread with me will betray me. The Son of Man is going as the Scriptures say he will. But alas for that one who betrays the Son of Man: better for him not to have been born.” Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “You do not mean me, Master, do you?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

Today’s Reflection:

The elaboration on naturally eating at the same dip and getting the same food from the same plate depicts the closeness of Jesus and Judas. During their last meal together, Judas was sitting close to Jesus for them to share the same dip. This is based from the detail that while the rest of the apostles were asking in chorus about the traitor’s identity that Jesus mentioned, Judas was still able to have a private conversation with Him about the topic.

Jesus’ vague description of his betrayer is not meant to display His omniscience, nor to give Judas an indirect warning to stop what he’s planning. It is a form of pleading that Christ has been communicating to each individual every time He speaks through our conscience. Every time Christ pleads and speaks with you in the same urgency to change, does He end up being listened to or has He been consistently rejected? /Vulnerasti, 2022