Homily for Wednesday of Holy Week

Mt 26:14-25

5 April 2023

 

" . . .but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for him had he never been born."

 

We know how Judas' story ended.  Were we to read the next chapter of Matthew's gospel we would be reminded of how Judas burst in on the officials and admitted he had betrayed an innocent man.  This is followed by the chilling words, "And throwing down the pieces of silver . . . he departed; 

and went and hanged himself."

 

Place yourself in the room. Become a bystander or a servant. Or one of the elders. Or the doorkeeper. Observe the scene. The door slams into the wall.  Judas pushes his way through the crowd. What does his face look like?  How does his voice sound?  What do you feel as you observe the scene? Annoyed?  Confused?  Frightened?

 

The thirty pieces of silver clank on the floor scattering all over the place. Judas flees. Without thinking you follow him out of the room.   The look on his face scares you.  You want to say something—anything.  You try to follow him but he is moving fast. You try to catch up, but you have to rest and get your breath.  You start to move again, trying to catch up with him but your legs are turning to lead and your breathing is getting difficult. And then in the distance you see his silhouette.  He is standing on a tree stump. A rope is tied to a tree branch. The noose is around his neck.  You try to scream . . . DON’T!  

 

Before the scream can form he leans forward. The stump rolls away. It is over.  

 

The sun is setting.  The breeze is picking up. You wrap your cloak tight against the chill wind.  Judas’ body swings from the branch.  You slowly retrace your steps into town. 

 

The tragedy is more than Judas betraying Jesus.  Peter also betrayed Jesus.  The tragedy is that, unlike Peter,  Judas could not imagine being forgiven by the one against whom he had sinned.

 

We will never know what drove Judas to betray Jesus. But we can wonder. Some scholars suggest Judas had become disillusioned with Jesus. Like many others, and too many today, Judas expected and wanted a political Messiah, a militant and military Messiah to lead the Jewish people from under Roman occupation.  Or they wanted a social justice Messiah rubberstamping any cause no matter how immoral. 

 

Did Judas kill himself in despair for having betrayed Jesus?  Did he kill himself because he too was betrayed? Because he realized he'd been played like a cheap guitar by those who had hired him? Or did he kill himself because he thought he could never be forgiven by the one whom he had betrayed?  Matthew described one of scripture’s great tragedies, the tragedy of Judas' despair.  A tragedy too common in many lives today. 

 

A few years ago I found a small battered book of daily meditations. Originally written in French it was translated into English in 1868.  It had been well-used by previous owners. The meditation on the story of Judas gives sound advice even today. "Never let us count on help, sympathy, or respect, from those whom we have served against our own conscience and against the law of God."  Then the anonymous Jesuit writer gets to the heart of the tragedy: "Judas' belief that his crime was unpardonable was disbelief in God . . .”  When he believed his sin could not be forgiven Judas stopped believing in God. It was then that despair drove him to violent suicide.

 

Standard dictionaries define despair as loss of hope.  However it is more complex than that. One theological source defines despair as the voluntary and complete abandonment of all hope of saving one’s soul,  the voluntary abandonment of hope in salvation, and the intentional denial of the meaning of Jesus’ saving act. Despair is not passive. It requires an act of the will to give up hope of eternal life.  Despair whispers in our ear that God will not pardon our sins.  And, like Judas, we believe that whispered message. We can only pray that despair never controls us, no matter what, no matter when, no matter why.  

 

As we ponder Judas' action we recall Jesus’ words on the cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  Yes, we are sinners.  But, we are sinners loved by God who pardons our sins when we acknowledge them, confess them, and ask absolution from them. 

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The Wednesday of Holy Week is sometimes referred to as Spy Wednesday as the gospel designated for today details Judas' preparing to hand Jesus over. Judas' story that continues on in Matthew's gospel is both tragic and fascinating. It i too often repeated today in various ways.

The photo is from Sevenhill, South Australia. We were there until Palm Sunday. The cross for the veneration on Good Friday was prepared in the loft. It is a solemn moment as the cross is carried in procession and uncovered in three phases to the chant: Behold the wood of the cross on which hung the Savior of the World, chanted a tone higher each time. Will be barefoot during this.

I will be heading out in a few hours to spend the next several days at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, a monastery of cloistered Benedictine nuns to ceebrate or concelebrate the liturgies. Eager to get there so as to enter into the unique silence of Holy Week.