Building or Breaking Trust!

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Is 49:1-6; Jn 13:21-33,36-38

Today’s Gospel is evocative because it shows the deeply troubled Jesus. 

Jesus’ gesture of giving the morsel must have meant something to Judas. 

Jesus gave Judas an opportunity to realize what he was doing. However, the symbolic gesture made no sense to him. 

When Jesus finds Judas more determined to carry on with his scheme without any guilt or remorse, Jesus concludes the encounter, saying, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’

It is into that determined mind that Satan enters. 

St. John uses the word ‘night’ in a highly symbolic manner. 

John, who shows Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night, shows Judas leaving Jesus at night. 

Judas went out because it was night. Or it was night because he left the presence of Jesus. 

Through what he did, Judas became an example of betrayal. 

We call it betrayal because it broke the trust that Jesus had in Judas. 

Judas, who betrayed Jesus confirms the fact that betrayal never comes from enemies. 

The Greek sage Aesop said: ‘Betray a friend and you will often find you have ruined yourself.’ 

Judas ruined himself when he ruined the trust that the Lord had in him. 

We can either build or break trust. 

Let us build on the trust that God has for us. 

That is the best way to build our relationship with God. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar