The Betrayal
Contemplate
attentively every detail, as Judas and his band are to enter Gethsemani.
Jesus,
having been fortified by the Angel, says to His disciples, "Rise, let us
go, behold he is at hand that will betray Me."
Amongst the soldiers, probably the greater part did not know Jesus. In the darkness, to mistake another for Him was quite possible,
so a sign was fixed upon. But why a kiss? What baseness and hypocrisy--
to abuse the sign of friendship and discipleship for the purpose of betrayal!
What malice and callousness to give the signal for the terrible process
of torture to begin!
Here with what infinite gentleness and compassion, Our Lord addresses Judas;
"Friend, where to art thou come? Judas, dost thou betray the Son
of Man with a kiss?" Our Lord says this to show Judas that He knows
everything, also, if possible, to touch the heart of the traitor by this
exposure of intention and by His own unfathomable love and gentleness.
What a marvelous grace! But the grace is rejected, as so many others
before it. With what infinite delight, would Jesus forgive all the
past, if Judas would humbly say, "I have sinned." Satan had long
ago found entrance into the heart of Judas, but now, as the tempter persuaded
him to reject every effort of the Divine Master to win him back, each resistance
to grace produced an increase of hardness, blindness and malice.
As grace after grace is refused, Satan's mastery becomes more complete,
so that by this time the sin of Judas is already fully committed and consummated;
the father of lies is now undisputed master.
We can hardly conceive the anguish of the wound left in the tender, loving
heart of Jesus, by the ingratitude and treachery and apostasy of one of
His own chosen Twelve.
We can picture, to ourselves, the insolent scoffing of Lucifer; his blasphemous
triumphing when he takes away from Jesus one specially chosen, one whom
Jesus had been endeavoring to keep.
"Then Judas, who betrayed Him, seeing that He was condemned, repenting
himself, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the Chief Priest and
Ancients saying, 'I have sinned in betraying innocent blood,' but they
said, 'What is that to us? Look thou to it,' and casting down the
pieces of silver in the Temple, he departed: and went and hanged himself
with a halter."
The terrible awakening has begun in the soul of Judas, suddenly the thirty
pieces of silver have lost all their charm. He finds no joy in them--
his poisoned heart rejects the food it craved. The Holy Spirit speaks
of the "fickleness" of concupiscence. What is so changeable as the
poor soul that is enslaved by passion and by the Devil? Jesus Christ
is Truth and changes not-- He is a Father worth loving, a Friend worth
gaining, a Master worth serving. But Satan, the father of lies, entirely
unsays today what he represented yesterday as absolutely certain.
Till this moment, Satan has vehemently assured Judas that his reward (his
thirty pieces) will bring him great satisfaction. Judas has lived
in a dream of enchantment. Suddenly the dream dissolves and disappears,
and forever! Now, that fallen Angel who now has special charge
from Lucifer to watch the "traitor," has ceased to tell one lie, and begun
to tell another quite opposite. The old story an hour ago was that
'no one would know his treason, he would still be an Apostle-- no harm
would come to Jesus.' Now this 'pleasant picture' is entirely blotted
out! and, the unseen spirit of lying has begun to whisper "All is
lost." The lying spirit is careful not to add that 'not out of the
mouth of God does this word come.'
How careful every soul should be never to listen to suggestions of the
Evil One-- every thought that tends to weaken our trust and love of God
comes directly from the Devil. To have failed, or sinned, is no reason
why we should fly from Our Father, Friend, Savior-- just the reverse--
and when we do fly to His Sacred Heart, looking for forgiveness and mercy,
we give joy to Our Heavenly Father.
Who can understand Judas? Who does not look with horror on his crime,
the base treachery? Can this accursed tool be an Apostle?
Judas entertained the thought of betrayal of Our Lord for a long time.
No one falls away from nearness to Jesus on a sudden: neglect in little
things gradually leads to a serious fault. The sight of this unhappy
disciple, a traitor, at the side of Jesus is surely calculated to fill
us with the fear of God, with distrust of ourselves; to strengthen us
in the resolution to avoid all dangerous occasions of sin; to bring forth
all virtues proper to our states in life to which we have been called;
to make us persevere in humble prayer, and in the exact observance of our
Catholic duties. If we neglect the mortification of our evil tendencies,
we have much reason to fear-- for we are capable of anything; no sin, no
meanness, is beyond the range of possibility for us. Our safety lies
in humble, close companionship with Our Lord and Our Immaculate Mother.
O
my dear Lord, how often I have been disloyal and most ungrateful to Thee.
Have pity on me, My Jesus, pardon the past. Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou
canst make me Thy true and devoted servant-- that is my one desire.
O
Mother of Jesus, I implore of thee to cover me with the mantle of thy Immaculate
Purity, so that I may be able to love thy Divine Son more absolutely.
Each
day, dear Jesus, may I grow in fidelity and love for Thee, my Lord and
God. Thou, O Lord, Thou alone art most faithful in all things, and
besides Thee; there is no other. Amen.
