In the middle of the Holy Mass, the priest recites the Eucharistic Prayer, which is the central prayer of the entire celebration. Here, the sacrifice of Christ is made present again on the altar. And in that same prayer, right before the words of consecration, the priest briefly mentions one of the deepest sufferings Jesus endured, and that is betrayal: “on the night he was betrayed”. This is almost like standing at Holy Tuesday, as it leads us toward Good Friday; before the Lord’s sacrifice, there was betrayal.
Betrayed
That’s where we are now. In our Gospel today, we see Jesus, knowing that He would be betrayed by Judas, become deeply troubled. Peter, too, would betray Him, and that also pained the Lord. All in only a few hours before His Passion. Yet, the Lord’s sorrow is different, because it is a suffering He freely accepts, just like the pain of the Cross. He does not turn away from the reality of betrayal, but enters into it with complete awareness, so that every part of that suffering is faced, endured for our redemption.
What makes betrayal painful? The word itself carries in itself its painful meaning. It ultimately comes from the Latin tradere, which means to hand over or to deliver someone. This expresses a relationship that was formed and then surrendered, or when someone gives away what should have been kept, answering love with injury. That is why it wounds so deeply, because it always presumes that something real was there before it was lost.
Such was the case of Judas, where Jesus suffers the ingratitude of one who had received so much but returns it with rejection for the sake of a few pieces of silver. The same with Peter, who, out of fear, denied the Lord who had shown his great trust in Him as when he was given a unique position among the apostles. Not that he shall remain loyal only because of the position given to him, but because of the great love he had received.
An Invitation
Holy Tuesday presents us with an invitation to examine ourselves. Sin is not just turning away from the Lord, but also a betrayal that hurts Him. It is to disregard our relationship with the Lord as his children for the sake of our perishable wealth and comfort. Each time we choose sin, whether in serious matters or in small compromises, we give away the love that we owe to Him, that we contribute to the wounds and pains that he endured on His Passion.
Although we might have betrayed the Lord many times, this should not discourage us. For Christ died for the forgiveness our sins, the forgiveness of our betrayals. On the cross, He mended our relationship with the Father and offers our healing through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Christ was willing to endure betrayal with such awareness and love, then this is an invitation to return to Him. Let us not despair!
Our Blessed Mother
Let us look upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, who remained faithful when the apostles and friends fled. She stood firm even at the foot of the Cross. And, through her intercession, may we receive the strength to be steadfast in our faith, the humility to return when we fall, and the love to remain with her Son until the end.
