Wednesday of Holy Week
In this week’s Mass readings, we hear much about Judas. It’s quite easy to feel disgust at Judas and his betrayal: he was one of Christ’s closest friends, witnessed some of Christ’s greatest miracles, and yet this week he betrays Christ for a bit of money. Despite all of Christ’s love and goodness, Judas sells him. And yet so often we ourselves are like Judas. We claim to believe in Jesus, to know him, to follow him – but every time we choose sin, we choose our own benefit over his love. We choose a quick payment over his companionship.
But we can be different from Judas in one key respect: whereas Judas despairs of his sin and rejects Christ’s forgiveness, we can embrace that forgiveness. We can recognize that Christ waits with open arms for our return, that his love is more powerful than our weakness. As humans, we all sin. But as the Lord, Christ forgives. Let us give thanks today for that divine mercy that always welcomes us home.