WATCHWORD:
Wednesday of Holy Week. Jesus and many of his disciples had returned to Bethany and were at the home of Simon, a man that Jesus had cured of the leprosy. With him were Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Following a meal, Mary anointed Jesus, which angered Judas, as a waste of costly perfume. The Last Supper was later that day, back in Jerusalem, when Jesus took bread and wine, blessed it and gave it to the disciples, telling them he would die, but would return to life. Judas slips out of the room, and goes to the high priest, Caliphas. Wednesday of Holy week, also referred to as “Spy Wednesday”, the day that Judas betrayed Jesus.
14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So, they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Matthew 26:14-16
Who Was This Guy? Judas Iscariot was the only son of wealthy Jewish parents, born in in Kerioth, a small town in southern Judea. When he was a lad, his parents moved to Jericho, where he lived and had been employed in his father’s various business enterprises until he became interested in the preaching and work of John the Baptist. His Sadducee parents disowned him. He was looking for employment in these regions when Jesus’ apostles found him, and chiefly because of his experience with finances, Nathaniel invited him to join their ranks. Judas Iscariot was the only Judean among the twelve apostles, all the others were from the region of Galilee.
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood. What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” 5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. Matthew 27:3-6
Meditation:
Holy Wednesday
There’s something proper, if that’s the word, about these dark days of isolation, with its promise of renewal. In the middle of Holy Week, with a betrayal, a trial, torture, crucifixion still to come, maybe our mind prefers to skip all that and jump to Sunday, Easter, the resurrection, the rebirth. We don’t like to dwell on the horror of the details leading up to that shining moment.
Where is our focus? Is your focus on that shining moment when all this will, ‘poof! go away like magic’? Or, do we view this time, as we should, as a time of renewal and rededication. When the ‘old normal’ may not be good enough. When the way it was, may not be what we want, at all. Maybe the way we are redefining our faith, broadening our love and deepening our compassion and communication, is something special. In other words, showing us a better way, a New Normal.
For me, I’ve had more contact with my kids, grandkids, and old friends that I have not reached out to for a very long time. I spend more time with positive thoughts, uplifting Netflix movies, and phone chats that seem to go on longer than before, filled with keeping in touch. I avoid the news, as much as I possibly can. I’ve discovered Zoom, and I’ve overcome my aversion to FaceTime. Of course, I do a lot of writing, some of it pretty silly, but there are those special times when I feel like I’m God’s scribe, and in wonder I think, where did that come from? Yet, I know.
How about you? What do your days look like? What do they feel like? Step outside, take a deep breath. Breathe in that New Normal, breathe out that old. Move on to the better, that is better than the old good.
Conversation with God, a Suggestion:
For each of us, here’s the big one: Gratitude, thankfulness, recognizing this isolation as one of God’s graces. Thank you, God, your love of us fills every minute of every day. Gratitude because we know, that when we emerge from this isolation, this time of self-examination, our own Holy Week, we will emerge into a New Normal, a precious gift from you. Thank you. Amen.
