Daily Archives: April 11, 2017

In today’s gospel (John 13:21-38) – a “preview” of our upcoming Holy Thursday mass – Jesus and His disciples have come together to celebrate the Passover meal.  Before supper, Jesus speaks of upcoming betrayals – that of Judas, who was to hand Jesus over, and that of Peter, who was to deny Jesus three times.  It is interesting that sandwiched between these two predictions of betrayal Jesus indicates that the time has come for His glorification.   Even amidst the bitter disappointment that accompanies betrayal, Jesus focuses on the glory of God.

And in many regards this makes perfect sense since one of the ways that God’s glory is revealed is through the infinite forgiveness that God bestows upon all those who betray him.  God’s glory is revealed as he forgives Peter.  God’s glory is revealed as he forgives Judas.  God’s glory is revealed when he forgives all of us, time and time again.

Yes, even though both disciples would betray Him, Jesus was open to forgive both of them.  Even when confronted by Judas later that night in the garden, Jesus called him “friend”.  After Peter’s betrayal, Jesus empowered Peter to repent, and to pull himself up to lead the newly established Christian church.

Of course it’s important to acknowledge the main difference between Judas and Peter. Peter knew that repentance and forgiveness were possible because he understood Jesus’ message – that God was infinitely loving and merciful.  Judas, on the other hand, just never got the message, and this ultimately led to his demise.

This reminds us that no matter what our offense, we can always turn to Jesus in repentance and that He will forgive us and help us pull ourselves up.  And just as important, we are also reminded that it is our obligation to give those who hurt or betray us a chance to make amends, and to receive our forgiveness. And by doing this, we too help reveal God’s glory.

So in this Holy week we continue to reflect on God’s faithfulness, mercy, and forgiveness.  We are confident that we can always turn to God for forgiveness in those instances that we stray from the life that Jesus desires for us.