Reflection for March 31 Wednesday of Holy Week: Matthew 26:14-25

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 happened to Judas Iscariot? He killed himself, what if instead of killing himself Judas simply approached Jesus and said, I’m sorry Lord for betraying you. How would have Jesus reacted? Jesus would have forgiven him but the sad part is to humble himself before Jesus never came to Judas' contemplation.  

For thirty pieces of silver Judas Iscariot sold His soul to the devil. Obviously Judas loved money more than the Lord otherwise he would not have betrayed Jesus. Indeed, the love of money is the root of every evil. Because of this greed, some have wandered away from the faith, bringing on themselves afflictions of every kind (1 Timothy 6:10).  

What power does money have that many of us are willing to sell our souls to the devil so that we could have it? What power does money have that many of us are punishing ourselves to the detriment of our health just to have it.  Money per see is not evil it becomes evil when we greed for it and when we allow it to possess us. But what price are we willing to pay just to have money? Judas betrayed the Lord and eventually destroyed his very life for his greed for money.  

There’s always a heavy price to pay when we allow ourselves to be possessed by our greed for money. Just observed those people who are greedy with money what happened to them? Where are they now? This betrayal of Judas courtesy of thirty pieces of silver sends us a chilling lesson. That our greed and love for money will bring us no good it would bring us only misery and countless more miseries.  

All the money in this will not buy us harmony in the family; all the money in this world will not buy us peace of mind and so forth. – Marino J. Dasmarinas