Judas kisses Jesus in this statue at the base of the Holy Stairs in Rome in this March 10, 2014, file photo. Tradition maintains that Jesus climbed the stairs when Pilate brought him before the crowd. It’s believed that Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, brought the stairs to Rome from Jerusalem in 326. CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING
Source & Summit: Wednesday of Holy Week
(The faithful) taking part in the Eucharistic sacrifice, which is the source and summit of the whole Christian life, offer the Divine Victim to God, and themselves along with it.
-The Second Vatican Council fathers in Lumen Gentium, #11
Source & Summit is a feature of The Western Kentucky Catholic online, celebrating the National Eucharistic Revival: Year of Parish Revival. Intended to help Catholics of our parishes to probe the riches of our liturgical year and celebrate the liturgy well, the column will always start with the Bible readings for the Mass of the Day to help us reflect on, and help to “unpack” and expand our experiences at liturgy into the domestic church (the home) and the workplace.
Sunday reflections will be based on the Lord’s Day, the Liturgy, the Eucharist, and, occasionally, community.
March 27, 2024
Wednesday of Holy Week
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032724.cfm
Isaiah 50:4—9a
Psalm 69:8—10, 21—22, 31, 33—34
Matthew 26:14—25
For this Wednesday of Holy Week, the Gospel of Matthew opens with Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. This stands in stark contract to the witness of love modeled by Jesus’ friend Mary a couple days ago in John’s Gospel for Holy Monday. Recall that Mary would pour an entire liter of lavish perfumed oil, worth at least 10 months’ wages, on the feet of Jesus and dry them with her hair. Mary united herself to Jesus out for great love for him.
For Judas, unfortunately, it was the complete opposite. Consumed with greed and selfishness, Judas commits the ultimate act of betrayal and sells Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Rather than giving everything he can out of love for Jesus like Mary did, Judas will take everything he can from Jesus, not even stopping at Jesus’ life. This is a classic example of how evil operates in our lives and the world. Love unites people together with others and God. Evil, on the other hand, divides and tears apart. In the end, however, Jesus will win over evil by his ultimate sacrifice of love on the Cross.
If we are honest with ourselves most all of us have moments when we love like Mary did, but on the other hand, most all of us have moments when we hurt others too like Judas did. The human heart, it seems, always is caught in the struggles between good and evil. In order to live and model love for others, let us ask God to reveal the struggles with evil in our lives that prevent us from loving as we should. Just as Jesus loves us, may he help us love others in return.
– Fr. Brandon Williams
Fr. Brandon is the Pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Grayson Springs, St. Anthony Parish in Peonia and St. Benedict in Wax, as well as Co-Coordinator of the Office of Worship.
To learn more about the Diocese of Owensboro’s celebration of the National Eucharistic Revival, visit https://owensborodiocese.org/eucharistic-revival/.
