Wednesday March 31, 2021 - Holy Wednesday - Hail, O Christ our King: obedient to the Father, like the lamb to the slaughterhouse you allow yourself to be led to the cross - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 26, 14-25

Dear Christians! Judas is again involved in the Gospel we have just heard. It is a tragedy to betray Jesus, as we were told yesterday, but it is the result of our selfishness and our attachment to earthly things. However, Jesus clearly said that "The Son of Man is going away, as it is written; but woe to him by whom he is betrayed." The path of suffering and death is the path that Jesus must follow to achieve our salvation. What is strange is that even Judas, who was desperate to hand Jesus over to the executioners, always asks Jesus if he was going to betray him. After all, we often ignore our own weaknesses. Do we sometimes admit that we can be wrong in our thoughts and actions?

Because we humans are so hard to love, so ungrateful, that we cannot respond to God's goodness. God has already given us supreme love by sending us his Son, but we always dare to be unfaithful to this extraordinary love that God gives us. We are Jesus' disciples today, so realize that every time we do wrong we are betraying Jesus, like Judas. But God takes care of us, his children, and knows our needs, so let us ask for the strength to resist these temptations and to have complete trust in him, like a child in his father.

Lord Jesus! In our daily lives, help us to be able to accept with faith and serenity the persecution inflicted on us as Christians. Also, help us not to succumb to the trivial things that cause us to betray you. Amen!