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The mystery of divine intervention
When I was at college, I participated in a Summer Camp with some Catholic students. Our group was divided into small teams and each team needed to choose a name. The other teams chose names such as Peter, Matthew or Luke. But our team chose a very special name. Guess what? It was Judas. And that idea came from me. Actually, we were very active and our team was one of the best.
Beyond human intention
Judas Iscariot reminds us of a certain figure in Genesis. He is another Judah, one of the twelve children of Jacob. When his brothers wanted to kill Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, Judah suggested that they should sell him in Egypt as a slave. By doing so, Judah prevented the death of Joseph who later would save the whole family from famine. Even though Judah’s intention was less evil than the initial idea of killing, his suggestion was still marked by human weakness. Judah’s suggestion, however, turned out to be something good.
Beyond human expectation
In today’s Gospel, Judas, one of the Twelve, proposed to sell Jesus, the beloved Son of God. The chief priests paid him thirty pieces of silver, the price of just one slave. In contrast to Joseph, Jesus was not kept from death. However, by his suffering and his death, Jesus saved us from our mortal condition. As we can see, in both cases, the beloved son of a father was sold by someone who was close to him. But surprisingly, the one who was sold became the savior of those who betrayed him.
And God in all this?
Divine intervention in the course of human history remains a great mystery for us. By following the Passion of Jesus, we are invited to put all our confidence in God’s providence. From our fault, from our failure, God makes something new, something greater that we can imagine. He wants only our good. He even gives his only Begotten Son to share our condition.
In our Christian journey, especially during this Holy Week, we are called to collaborate with God in his project of life for us. From the way the biblical stories are reflected in our own lives, we can learn how to avoid the errors of the past and the actions that drag us into dangerous situations. We can also learn how to become more human by imitating the good attitude of biblical characters. The Bible does not hesitate to talk about the complexity of human behavior. Thus, it invites us to embrace totally our human condition. We can do this by becoming, day by day, more human, more mature, and more understanding of others.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to overcome human weaknesses by loving, as you did, even those who betray us.
Resolution: Identify myself with one character of today’s Gospel to avoid his mistakes or to imitate his good attitudes.