Gospel: Matthew
26:14-25
One of
the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What
are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you? They paid him thirty
pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand
him over.
On the
first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and
said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go
into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, My appointed
time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my
disciples. The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the
Passover.
When it
was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating,
he said,
“Amen, I
say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began
to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord? He said in reply, “He
who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The
Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom
the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never
been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I,
Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”
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Reflection:
What are
you capable of doing to possess money? Would you embrace evil and betray
somebody for it? Judas did it to have
money, money that possessed him and money that eventually destroyed him. Money
is not evil per see it becomes evil when you allow it to possess and dictate
upon you.
Perhaps Judas was not an evil person initially
he was a good person in the beginning. The proof of this is he joined the group
of select men who became Jesus apostles. If Judas was evil from the beginning he
would not have joined Jesus.
Judas
became evil when he became the treasurer of the group. There he allowed his
greed for money to reign over him in the process Judas betrayed his master. What
did Judas achieve when he got money? Did he gain peace in his life? Did he become
happy? Judas gained nothing for his love of money except evil and misery in his
life.
What if
Judas did not allow himself to be possessed by money? Jesus would have not died
early and Judas wouldn’t have decided to end his very life. But Judas allowed the many evils of greed for
money to control him.
This Wednesday
of Holy Week reflect on the influence of money in your life. Have you already
allowed it to drive your life? Do not allow money to rule over you for it will
not bring you any good. Instead allow Jesus to come into your life and invite
Jesus to drive your life. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
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