Matthew 26: 14-25
Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Jesus Loves Our Imperfect Selves
God is love and that is what God does. God loves. God loves even in the face of betrayal. Today’s Gospel in Matthew speaks of Judas’s betrayal of Jesus for a few coins. Clearly this is no small act. Jesus gives a stern warning for the one who will commit this act that will lead to his horrific death. Things looked, and were, pretty bleak for Judas. However, we have only to look at John 13:1-17 when Jesus washed the disciple’s feet showing them how to love one another. Jesus didn’t skip over Judas in anger or resentment. He washed his feet too in love. Even in his brokenness, Judas was loved. This is evidence of what St. Ignatius of Loyola says, namely, that we are loved sinners. Even in the messiness of our thoughts, feelings and actions, we are loved.
Can you imagine Jesus gazing upon your imperfect self with love and compassion in his eyes? Take a moment and try.
—Terresa Michele Ford is an Ignatian spiritual director, palliative care chaplain and artist who has written for Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center, Catholic Women Preach, and the Black Catholic Messenger. She holds an M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and an MFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art and serves as a Reflector for the Ignatian Volunteer Corp.
Prayer
Father God, we thank you for the gift of your forgiving son Jesus Christ and for his relentless pursuit of our hearts. Give us eyes to see him in our midst and ears to hear his call of love for the sake of our salvation. We pray this in the merciful name of our savior Jesus. Amen.
—Terresa Michele Ford