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:
Are you a
lover of money or do you allow money to take control of you?
What a
shame that Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver it was again his
greed for money that made him betray Jesus. Money indeed can make people do
inhuman things such as betrayal of one’s trust. The love for money is indeed
the root of all evils (1 Timothy 6:10).
If Judas did not love money or if he did not
allow money to take control of him he would not have betrayed Jesus. But he
loved money and he allowed money to get the better of him. Don’t we sometimes
also betray Jesus for our love and greed for money?
In what
other ways do we betray Jesus? When we are also so much greedy for power not
only in secular organizations, we also betray Jesus when we are greedy with
power to head church organizations.
There is
a true story of ladies who were in-charge to lead a certain church organization.
Their greed for power made them arrogant whenever they saw fit. They gloat over
the people whom they’ve offended and worst is they cling to their church positions
even if they’ve been there for a very long time.
We must
not let the devil implant in us all forms of greed; this can only be made
possible if we don’t have this love for money and love for position of
prominence. Instead of loving money why not hate it like a plague by sharing it
with those who are badly in need?
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