Wednesday of Holy Week
Lectionary: 259
Lectionary: 259
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
That I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
And I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
My face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let him confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?
a well-trained tongue,
That I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
And I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
My face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let him confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?
Responsorial
PsalmPS 69:8-10, 21-22, 31 AND
33-34
R. (14c) Lord,
in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's sons,
because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak,
I looked for sympathy, but there was none;
for consolers, not one could I find.
Rather they put gall in my food,
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving:
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's sons,
because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak,
I looked for sympathy, but there was none;
for consolers, not one could I find.
Rather they put gall in my food,
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving:
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Verse Before
The Gospel
Hail to you, our King;
you alone are compassionate with our errors.
you alone are compassionate with our errors.
Or
Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.
GospelMT 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, AMy 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."
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, AMy 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."
Meditation:
The tragedy of the betrayal
: Why did Judas betray his
Master? Was his treachery motivated by greed, bitter disappointment with Jesus,
or hatred because of disillusionment? It may be that Judas never intended for
his Master to die. Maybe he thought Jesus was proceeding too slowly and not
acting aggressively enough in setting up his messianic kingdom. Perhaps Judas
wanted to force Jesus' hand by compelling him to act. Nonetheless, his tragedy
was his refusal to accept Jesus as he was.
The
power of greed can only be overcome with the power of Christ's love poured out
for us
Origen (185-254 AD), a bible scholar and early church father, comments on Judas' betrayal:
Origen (185-254 AD), a bible scholar and early church father, comments on Judas' betrayal:
"Let
us consider what Judas said to the Jewish priests: What will you give
me if I hand him over to you? He was willing to take money in exchange
for handing over the Word of God. They do the same thing who accept sensual or
worldly goods in exchange for handing over and casting out from their souls the
Savior and Word of truth who came to dwell with them. Indeed, it would be
fitting to apply Judas's example to all who show contempt for the Word of God
and betray him, as it were, by committing sin for the sake of money or for any
selfish motive. People who behave in this way appear openly to be calling out
to the powers of the enemy who offer worldly gain in return for the sin of
betraying God's Word, saying, What will you give me if I hand him over
to you? And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.
The
number of coins they gave Judas was equivalent to the number of years the
Savior had sojourned in this world. For at the age of thirty, he was baptized
and began to preach the gospel, like Joseph was thirty years old when he began
to gather grain for his brothers (Genesis 41:46). Just as at that time the
grain was prepared by God for the sons of Israel but given also to the
Egyptians, so also the gospel was prepared for the saints but preached also to
the unfaithful and wicked." (Commentary on Matthew 78.)
The
Lord will test our hearts to show us where we need his love and strength to do
his will
Jesus knew beforehand what would befall him. As Jesus ate his last supper meal with his twelve apostles he put them under trial and suspicion (one of you will betray me) to teach them to examine themselves rightly, lest they be high-minded and think themselves more strong than they were. We, also must examine ourselves in the light of God's truth and grace and ask him to strengthen us in faith, hope, and love that we may not fail him or forsake him when we are tempted. Do you pray with confidence in the words Jesus gave us to pray: Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13)?
Jesus knew beforehand what would befall him. As Jesus ate his last supper meal with his twelve apostles he put them under trial and suspicion (one of you will betray me) to teach them to examine themselves rightly, lest they be high-minded and think themselves more strong than they were. We, also must examine ourselves in the light of God's truth and grace and ask him to strengthen us in faith, hope, and love that we may not fail him or forsake him when we are tempted. Do you pray with confidence in the words Jesus gave us to pray: Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13)?
"God
our Father, we are exceedingly frail and indisposed to every virtuous and
gallant undertaking. Strengthen our weakness, we beseech you, that we may do
valiantly in this spiritual war; help us against our own negligence and
cowardice, and defend us from the treachery of our unfaithful hearts; for Jesus
Christ's sake." (Prayer of Thomas a Kempis)
A
Daily Quote for Lent: God's
help for a complete conversion, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When
we transform our old life and give our spirit a new image, we find it hard and
tiring to turn back from the darkness of earthly passions to the serene calm of
the divine light. We thus ask God to help us that a complete conversion may be
brought about in us." (excerpt from Confessions 10,4)
WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, MATTHEW 26:14-25
(Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 69)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, MATTHEW 26:14-25
(Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 69)
KEY VERSE: "Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me" (v. 21).
TO KNOW: The prophet Zechariah prefigured Jesus in that his service was rejected even though he was a good shepherd to his flock. Like Zechariah, Jesus attempted to lead his people with a prophetic and pastoral ministry, but he ended up suffering at the hands of his enemies. Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve Apostles, plotted with the chief priests to betray Jesus for "thirty pieces of silver," the price of an injured slave (Ex 21:32; Zec 11:12). Matthew suggested that Judas' motive was greed. But perhaps it was that Judas never truly understand who Jesus was. The other disciples called Jesus "Lord" while Judas addressed him as "rabbi" or "teacher." Although God used Judas' treacherous act to fulfill the divine plan, the disciple was not absolved from personal responsibility for his grievous sin.
TO LOVE: Have I participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the ways I have denied the Lord through my words or deeds?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to be faithful to you as I take up my cross and follow you.
Wednesday 17 April 2019
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK
Isaiah 50:4-9. Psalm 68(69):8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34. Matthew
26:14-25.
Lord, in your great love, answer me – Psalm 68(69):8-10, 21-22,
31, 33-34.
‘They paid him thirty pieces of silver.’
It is easy to judge someone like Judas and profess we stand
above this sort of sneaky behaviour. Selling out a close friend for a bag of
silver is a despicable act, but betrayal can take other forms. We can damage
important relationships by selfish actions. We can forgo a courageous moral
stand because it seems unpopular. Perhaps we choose to advance our power and
position in society at the cost of helping others in need. Thus we betray
something that really matters. Following Jesus’ example asks us to make
considered moral choices, to put others’ needs before our own, and to love our
neighbours and our enemies.
Once Judas had ‘cashed in’ on his friendship with Jesus, he was
left with regret and sorrow, alienated from Jesus and his community. Lord, may
we remember the sorrow of Judas and strengthen our commitment to love and to
living your Way.
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre
Saint of the Day for April 17
(March 25, 1748 – April 17, 1783)
 |
| Etching | Saint Benedict Joseph Labre | Wellcome Images |
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre’s Story
Benedict Joseph Labre was truly eccentric, one of God’s special
little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children, he studied under his
uncle, a parish priest. Because of poor health and a lack of suitable academic
preparation he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the religious life.
Then, at age 16, a profound change took place. Benedict lost his desire to
study and gave up all thoughts of the priesthood, much to the consternation of
his relatives.
He became a pilgrim, traveling from one great shrine to another,
living off alms. He wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the
poor. Filled with the love of God and neighbor, Benedict had special devotion
to the Blessed Mother and to the Blessed Sacrament. In Rome, where he lived in
the Colosseum for a time, he was called “the poor man of the Forty Hours
devotion” and “the beggar of Rome.” The people accepted his ragged appearance
better than he did. His excuse to himself was that “our comfort is not in this
world.”
On April 16, 1783, the last day of his life, Benedict dragged
himself to a church in Rome and prayed there for two hours before he collapsed,
dying peacefully in a nearby house. Immediately after his death, the people
proclaimed him a saint.
Benedict Joseph Labre was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in
1881. His Liturgical Feast Day is April 16.
Reflection
In a modern inner city, one local character kneels for hours on
the sidewalk and prays. Swathed in his entire wardrobe winter and summer, he
greets passersby with a blessing. Where he sleeps no one knows, but he is
surely a direct spiritual descendant of Benedict, the ragged man who slept in
the ruins of Rome’s Colosseum. These days we ascribe such behavior to mental
illness; Benedict’s contemporaries called him holy. Holiness is always a bit
mad by earthly standards.
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre is the Patron Saint of:
Homeless
Lectio Divina: Matthew 26:14-25
Lectio Divina
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Season of Lent
1) Opening prayer
God our Father,
when the hour of Your Son Jesus had come
to accept suffering and death
out of love of You
when the hour of Your Son Jesus had come
to accept suffering and death
out of love of You
and His saving love for us, He did not refuse that suffering and
deep pain.
In the hour of trial
that we may have to pass through,
do not let us become rebellious
but keep us trusting in You,
for You save us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In the hour of trial
that we may have to pass through,
do not let us become rebellious
but keep us trusting in You,
for You save us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - 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."
3) Reflection
• Yesterday the Gospel spoke of the betrayal of Judas and of the
denial of Peter. Today, it speaks once again of the betrayal of Judas. In the
description of the Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, the failure of
the disciples is strongly stressed. In spite of having lived three years together
with Jesus, not one of them defends Jesus. Judas betrays Him, Peter denies Him,
and the others flee. Matthew narrates everything, not to criticize or to
condemn, neither to discourage the readers, but in order to underline that
acceptance and the love of Jesus exceed the defeat and the failure of the
disciples! This way of describing the attitude of Jesus was a help for the
Communities at the time of Matthew. Because of the frequent persecutions, many
were discouraged and had abandoned the community and asked themselves: “Will it
be possible to return? Will God accept and forgive us?” Matthew responds by
suggesting that we can break the relationship with Jesus, but Jesus never
breaks it with us. His love is greater than our infidelity. This is a very
important message which we get from the Gospel during Holy Week.
• Matthew 26:14-16: The Decision of Judas to betray Jesus. Judas took the decision after Jesus did not accept the criticism of the disciples concerning the woman who wastes a very expensive perfume only to anoint Jesus (Mt 26:6-13). He went to the chief priest and asked: “What are you prepared to give Me if I hand Him over to you?” They agreed on the sum of thirty silver pieces. Matthew recalls the words of the Prophet Zechariah to describe the price agreed upon (Zc 11, 12). At the same time, the betrayal of Jesus for thirty silver coins recalls the sale of Joseph by his brothers, decided by the buyers for twenty coins (Gn 37:28). It also is reminiscent of the price of thirty coins to be paid for the wounding of a slave (Ex 21:32).
• Matthew 26:17-19: The preparation for the Passover. Jesus was coming from Galilee. He did not have a house in Jerusalem. He spent the night in the Garden of Olives (cf. Jn 8:1). In the days of the feast of the Passover the people of Jerusalem increased three times in number because of the enormous number of pilgrims who went there from all parts. For Jesus it was not easy to find a big room to celebrate the Passover together with the pilgrims coming from Galilee. He ordered His disciples to find a person in whose house He had decided to celebrate the Passover. The Gospel does not offer any other information and allows the imagination to complete what is missing in the information. Was this a person known by Jesus? A relative? A disciple? Throughout the centuries the imagination of the Apocrypha has tried to complete this information, but with little credibility.
• Matthew 26:20-25: The announcement of the betrayal of Judas. Jesus knew that He will be betrayed. In spite of the fact that Judas did things secretly. Jesus knew. But in spite of that, He wants to act fraternally with the group of friends to which Judas belongs. When all were together for the last time, Jesus announces who is the traitor “Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with Me will betray Me”. This way of announcing the betrayal renders even clearer the contrast. For the Jews, the communion around the table, to dip the hand together in the same dish, was the maximum expression of intimacy and trust. In this way, Matthew suggests that in spite of the betrayal made by someone who was a friend, the love of Jesus is greater than the betrayal!
• What strikes us in the way in which Matthew describes these facts? Between the denial and the betrayal there is the institution of the Eucharist (Mt 26:26-29): the betrayal of Judas first (Mt 26:20-25); the denial of Peter and the flight of the disciples, afterwards (Mt 25:30-35). Thus, he stressed for us the incredible love of Jesus, which exceeds the betrayal, the denial, and the flight of the friends. His love does not depend on what others do for Him.
• Matthew 26:14-16: The Decision of Judas to betray Jesus. Judas took the decision after Jesus did not accept the criticism of the disciples concerning the woman who wastes a very expensive perfume only to anoint Jesus (Mt 26:6-13). He went to the chief priest and asked: “What are you prepared to give Me if I hand Him over to you?” They agreed on the sum of thirty silver pieces. Matthew recalls the words of the Prophet Zechariah to describe the price agreed upon (Zc 11, 12). At the same time, the betrayal of Jesus for thirty silver coins recalls the sale of Joseph by his brothers, decided by the buyers for twenty coins (Gn 37:28). It also is reminiscent of the price of thirty coins to be paid for the wounding of a slave (Ex 21:32).
• Matthew 26:17-19: The preparation for the Passover. Jesus was coming from Galilee. He did not have a house in Jerusalem. He spent the night in the Garden of Olives (cf. Jn 8:1). In the days of the feast of the Passover the people of Jerusalem increased three times in number because of the enormous number of pilgrims who went there from all parts. For Jesus it was not easy to find a big room to celebrate the Passover together with the pilgrims coming from Galilee. He ordered His disciples to find a person in whose house He had decided to celebrate the Passover. The Gospel does not offer any other information and allows the imagination to complete what is missing in the information. Was this a person known by Jesus? A relative? A disciple? Throughout the centuries the imagination of the Apocrypha has tried to complete this information, but with little credibility.
• Matthew 26:20-25: The announcement of the betrayal of Judas. Jesus knew that He will be betrayed. In spite of the fact that Judas did things secretly. Jesus knew. But in spite of that, He wants to act fraternally with the group of friends to which Judas belongs. When all were together for the last time, Jesus announces who is the traitor “Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with Me will betray Me”. This way of announcing the betrayal renders even clearer the contrast. For the Jews, the communion around the table, to dip the hand together in the same dish, was the maximum expression of intimacy and trust. In this way, Matthew suggests that in spite of the betrayal made by someone who was a friend, the love of Jesus is greater than the betrayal!
• What strikes us in the way in which Matthew describes these facts? Between the denial and the betrayal there is the institution of the Eucharist (Mt 26:26-29): the betrayal of Judas first (Mt 26:20-25); the denial of Peter and the flight of the disciples, afterwards (Mt 25:30-35). Thus, he stressed for us the incredible love of Jesus, which exceeds the betrayal, the denial, and the flight of the friends. His love does not depend on what others do for Him.
4) Personal questions
• It seems obvious that Judas will betray Jesus from our reading
the Gospel, but put yourself there at the time. Would you have suspected one of
your close group to do this? How would you interpret the indications Jesus was
giving at the time?
• In Holy Week it is important to reserve some moments to become aware of the unbelievable gratuity of God’s love for me.
• In Holy Week it is important to reserve some moments to become aware of the unbelievable gratuity of God’s love for me.
5) Concluding Prayer
Sing to God, play music to His name,
build a road for the Rider of the Clouds,
rejoice in Yahweh, dance before Him.
Father of orphans, defender of widows,
such is God in His holy dwelling. (Ps 68:4-5)
build a road for the Rider of the Clouds,
rejoice in Yahweh, dance before Him.
Father of orphans, defender of widows,
such is God in His holy dwelling. (Ps 68:4-5)
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