Gospel, Wednesday of Holy Week

Here is a reflection I've done on today's Gospel reading from Matthew around the betrayal of Judas:

We're lucky, or maybe blessed, that our betrayals of Jesus aren't as high profile that of Judas. We're also pretty lucky that the payout for our double-crossings isn't made in cash because some of us, me included, could get rich pretty easily.

Judas' transgression is maybe the best-known sin against Jesus, and we follow in his footsteps pretty seriously. We, like those gathered at the Last Supper, come to the table with Christ as His friends in the Mass and the Eucharist. We look right at Jesus, say Amen, and pray our prayers, and even if we haven't pre-arranged a deal, we turn and make new mistakes.

However, unlike Judas, we can know and have the forgiveness of Christ. We don't have to turn to the dark recourse that Judas takes in his hour of darkness; we can return to God with all our hearts. We can come in repentance to Christ in the Eucharist and in Reconciliation and make amends for our mistakes, for those times when we turn ourselves away from our God who never leaves us.

So maybe today's Gospel is an opportunity to realize that we sin and come short like Judas, but to also realize that we can diverge from Judas' dark path. We can emerge from our darkness and realize our shortcomings. We can come back to Christ and share in Him who is Life.