JMJ. That most blessed time of the year has returned and another Lenten period is upon us. I continue to marvel at God's love for me and for His tremendous forebearance.
I have wondered for some time at the actions of the Apostles at the Last Supper. Jesus spoke in Matthew 26:21, saying, "Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me."
If ever there were more overt guilty consciences I don't know when that might have been. Each of them in turn said, "Is it I, Lord?" Now, I don't know about you, but I would think that I would know if I had betrayed our Lord to the authorities. But in reflecting further I came to realise that the betrayal went far beyond the mere political.
Maybe the Apostles weren't so far off after all. Jesus answered them saying that the traitor was the one who dipped his hand into the same bowl as did our Lord. Didn't they all do that? Don't all of us? Jesus, our Lord, provided a bowl of food for their Passover celebration. And they all partook of that food (if not necessarily from the same dish.)
God, the Most Blessed Trinity, has provided a trove of graces from which we all dip our hands. And through our sins we betray Him Who gave Himself for our redemption. As I have written elsewhere, we all spat in His face, we all scourged Him, we all pounded the nails into His poor beaten body. So, too, have we all betrayed Him through our commissions and omissions.
Peter once asked Him how many times we must forgive and Jesus told Peter, seventy times seven. Though many forgivenesses, it is finite. God's forgiveness is infinite. Judas squandered that forgiveness and despaired. Had he returned the evil silver and begged for His Lord's mercy he would have received it. That is our blessing. We betrayers can learn from that tragic mistake, can repent our sinful betrayals, throw the silver back into Satan's face, and with Divine Forgiveness can once again dip our hands into the bowl Christ has provided for us.
May God bless your Lent and make it fruitful unto you, dear reader.
