By Fr Antony Christy, SDB –
The Word in the Holy Week
Another Passion Week amidst the Pandemic – the Spy Wednesday
March 31, 2021: Isaiah 50: 4-9; Matthew 26:14-25
The disciple’s tongue to speak and the disciple’s ear to listen – that is what the Lord has given us; but whether we use the faculty or not, depends so much on our choice! What a sad illustration of this we have in the Gospel today. This Wednesday is called the Spy Wednesday, as Judas is seen to agree to betray Jesus to the authorities, for thirty silver pieces, and from that moment began looking for the opportunity to hand him over to Jews!
Did Judas make a mistake? Yes, most probably! But did he have a chance, not to make it? Yes, ofcourse he did! Be it Judas who betrayed Jesus, or Peter who denied him, or the rest of the apostles who abandoned Jesus and ran for their lives, they were all warned, forewarned and prepared for such a treacherous moment… but they chose not to act on what they knew!
That is why we need to know, that knowing alone is not enough. To know what is right and wrong, to know what is sin and what is righteousness, to know what is the apt choice to be made at a given time – these are all faculties that are good, but not enough. Our relationship with God, our commitment in faith, goes beyond merely knowing and understanding, it depends on the choices we make with the convictions we form.
In fact, the three levels of growth from an ignorant way of life are -the level of knowing and understanding, where there is knowledge and intellectual prowess at play; the level of conviction and principles, where a person appears disciplined and guided by principles but there is still the dichotomy of the theory and practice, the beliefs and life; and thirdly comes the level of commitment and priority-choice, where there is nothing that can make one falter from the way of life that one is called to.
While Judas was still in the first level, Peter and other apostles had gone to the second level, which depending on the grace and mercy of God could save them. But the call is always to the third level – to be persons committed to God and God’s way of life, to be totally formed in the image of God and communicating the same to the world around. Jesus was that and he had to pay the price for it. That is what we are celebrating these days – his knowledge and understanding of his Father, his conviction and principles guided by his Father’s will and his commitment and priority-choice for God and God’s plan.
Today, setting aside our judgemental looks at Judas, can we ask ourselves: am I growing in my commitment and priority-choice for God, that nothing else can distract me, tempt me or draw me away from God’s plan for me?
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him.