Betrayal and Service

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Wednesday of Holy Week, invite us to greater awareness of the betrayal, conscious or systemic, of people we perceive with fear and Jesus calls with love. 

Our Fear Betrays Us

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah presents the third “Suffering Servant of the Lord”.

* [50:4–11] The third of the four “servant of the Lord” oracles (cf. note on 42:1–4); in vv. 4–9 the servant speaks; in vv. 10–11 God addresses the people directly.

* [50:5] The servant, like a well-trained disciple, does not refuse the divine vocation.

* [50:6] He willingly submits to insults and beatings. Tore out my beard: a grave and painful insult. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 50 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 69 is a lament complaining of suffering.

* [Psalm 69] A lament complaining of suffering in language both metaphorical (Ps 69:2–3, 15–16, the waters of chaos) and literal (Ps 69:4, 5, 9, 11–13, exhaustion, alienation from family and community, false accusation). In the second part the psalmist prays with special emphasis that the enemies be punished for all to see (Ps 69:23–29). Despite the pain, the psalmist does not lose hope that all be set right, and promises public praise (Ps 69:30–36). (Psalms, PSALM 69 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the decision to betray Jesus by Judas and Preparations for the Passover.

* [26:14] Iscariot: see note on Lk 6:16.

* [26:15] The motive of avarice is introduced by Judas’s question about the price for betrayal, which is absent in the Marcan source (Mk 14:10–11). Hand him over: the same Greek verb is used to express the saving purpose of God by which Jesus is handed over to death (cf. Mt 17:22; 20:18; 26:2) and the human malice that hands him over. Thirty pieces of silver: the price of the betrayal is found only in Matthew. It is derived from Zec 11:12 where it is the wages paid to the rejected shepherd, a cheap price (Zec 11:13). That amount is also the compensation paid to one whose slave has been gored by an ox (Ex 21:32).

* [26:17] The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread: see note on Mk 14:1. Matthew omits Mark’s “when they sacrificed the Passover lamb.”

* [26:18] By omitting much of Mk 14:13–15, adding My appointed time draws near, and turning the question into a statement, in your house I shall celebrate the Passover, Matthew has given this passage a solemnity and majesty greater than that of his source.

* [26:21] Given Matthew’s interest in the fulfillment of the Old Testament, it is curious that he omits the Marcan designation of Jesus’ betrayer as “one who is eating with me” (Mk 14:18), since that is probably an allusion to Ps 41:10. However, the shocking fact that the betrayer is one who shares table fellowship with Jesus is emphasized in Mt 26:23.

* [26:24] It would be better…born: the enormity of the deed is such that it would be better not to exist than to do it.

* [26:25] Peculiar to Matthew. You have said so: cf. Mt 26:64; 27:11. This is a half-affirmative. Emphasis is laid on the pronoun and the answer implies that the statement would not have been made if the question had not been asked. (Matthew, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB, n.d.)

Mirielle Mason mentions that in our endeavors to emulate a Christ-like love we will always fall short, because we are human. We betray Jesus with our sin, but we have a choice to make. Will we live in shame and denial, as Judas did or will we seek repentance, continually strive for more, and always look to accept the endless love God has for us? She thinks of Peter, who betrayed Jesus when he denied Him three times, but chose the second path, and is now revered as Saint and the first pope of the Catholic Church.

As we approach Easter, I pray that we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord. Help us to be like Peter, who sought the Lord’s forgiveness and accepted the gift of His mercy. May we trust in our Father’s most difficult plans for us, and be filled with the patience and love required to respect those who hurt us along the way, just as Jesus did with Judas. (Mason, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “God's help for a complete conversion”, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"When we transform our old life and give our spirit a new image, we find it hard and tiring to turn back from the darkness of earthly passions to the serene calm of the divine light. We thus ask God to help us that a complete conversion may be brought about in us." (excerpt from Confessions 10,4) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that today is sometimes called “spy Wednesday”. The passage from Isaiah is the third Song of the Suffering Servant who will be tortured for what is said and God will comfort him. In Matthew’s Gospel Judas is given 30 pieces of silver. Why this amount? This amount of money was the penalty for an ox goring a slave. Is Jesus treated as a slave? After instructed to prepare the Supper one of the twelve will betray him. Jesus identifies the betrayer as one who has his dipped hand into the dish. This is a very ambiguous “One of You”. In John’s Gospel, Jesus gives Judas that bread in the end and he responds “Not I rabbi” Friar Jude comments that this may indicate that Jesus knew who would betray him but He still called Judas to do the will of the Father.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 26:14-25 notes how well Jesus knows these men—and how little they know themselves!

“Jesus, it is good for me to be here, reflecting on this scene. Tomorrow will remind me in a special way that I’m a part of it. At every Mass, it’s like I’m sitting elbow-to-elbow with your apostles at the Last Supper. Like them, I’m flawed and weak. But as I eat your Body and drink your Blood, your life flowing in me makes me strong. And so, looking not at my sins and weaknesses but at your power, I boldly dare to offer a prayer that many Eastern Catholics recite before receiving Communion: ‘I will not betray you with a kiss, as did Judas, but like the repentant thief, I openly profess you: Remember me, O Lord, in your kingdom.’”

“Jesus, thank you for giving your life out of love for me.” (Meditation on Matthew 26:14-25, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Karen González, an immigrant advocate, who points to the story of Joseph in Genesis 37 as an example of God’s love and protection for foreigners.

 

For many immigrants and others on the underside of history, God’s presence in suffering isn’t about complex theological arguments about theodicy or sovereignty or how bad things can happen to good people. For them, God’s presence in suffering is what enables them to live. Indeed, for many who suffer, Christ on the cross offers the comfort of knowing that they serve a God who himself has known great sorrow and suffering. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)

Fear leads to scapegoating while friendship leads us to welcome Christ in our midst:

Fear has become the default in the current immigration conversation in North America, even for followers of Jesus, who are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. The Bible speaks to the need for philoxenia [love of foreigners] repeatedly, from Exodus all the way to Hebrews: “Keep loving each other like family. Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests [strangers or foreigners], because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:1–2)…. (Rohr, n.d.)

As we prepare for the events presented in the Triduum we contemplate, with the help of the Spirit, the betrayals that may have brought suffering in our environment as we resist the response of "Surely not I, Lord”

References

Isaiah, CHAPTER 50 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/50? 

Mason, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 1, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-1-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/26?14 

Meditation on Matthew 26:14-25. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 1, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/01/1530334/ 

Psalms, PSALM 69 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/69? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Scapegoating the “Foreigner”. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 1, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/scapegoating-the-foreigner/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Tragedy of the Betrayal. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 1, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Betrayal Glory and Liberation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the challenge to address betrayal of love in our environment by living Jesus' Way of liberation and love for all.

Liberation and Love

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah presents the second Servant of the Lord oracle.

* [49:1–7] The second of the four “servant of the Lord” oracles (cf. note on 42:1–4).

* [49:1] Gave me my name: designated me for a special task or mission (cf. Jer 1:5).

* [49:3] Israel: the servant is identified with the people of Israel as their ideal representative; however, vv. 5–6 seem to distinguish the servant from Israel.

* [49:6] The servant’s vocation extends beyond the restoration of Israel in order to bring the knowledge of Israel’s God to the rest of the earth; cf. Lk 2:32. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 49 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 71 pleads for help and hope from God.

* [Psalm 71] A lament of an old person (Ps 71:9, 18) whose afflictions are interpreted by enemies as a divine judgment (Ps 71:11). The first part of the Psalm pleads for help (Ps 71:1–4) on the basis of a hope learned from a lifetime’s experience of God; the second part describes the menace (Ps 71:9–13) yet remains buoyant (Ps 71:14–16); the third develops the theme of hope and praise. (Psalms, PSALM 71 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents the announcement of Judas’s Betrayal and prediction of Peter’s Denial.

* [13:23] The one whom Jesus loved: also mentioned in Jn 19:26; 20:2; 21:7. A disciple, called “another disciple” or “the other disciple,” is mentioned in Jn 18:15 and Jn 20:2; in the latter reference he is identified with the disciple whom Jesus loved. There is also an unnamed disciple in Jn 1:35–40; see note on Jn 1:37.

* [13:26] Morsel: probably the bitter herb dipped in salt water.

* [13:31–38] Introduction: departure and return. Terms of coming and going predominate. These verses form an introduction to the last discourse of Jesus, which extends through Jn 14–17. In it John has collected Jesus’ words to his own (Jn 13:1). There are indications that several speeches have been fused together, e.g., in Jn 14:31 and Jn 17:1. (John, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Kathy Kemler comments that Jesus tells the apostles that he must go, and they cannot follow now. Peter begs the question, why, and then claims that he will lay down his life for Jesus. But Jesus knows better, and he tells Peter so.

The drama begins with the apostles believing that their dedication, their loyalty, their willingness to follow and lay down their life will be lived out. It’s much like the beginning of each of my days: “I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day….” And then like the apostles, life happens. I encounter people, situations, my own emotions, and even though I committed just that morning to stay with Jesus, I move away and search for safety, convenience, or worse yet, act out of my emotions of frustration, anger, overwhelmed etc. Each of the apostles and ultimately each of us must make a choice between staying with Jesus with our hearts, minds, and words, or turning away. It’s hard. We don’t mean to turn away, but habits, emotions, and reactions can so easily take center stage in our lives. (Kemler, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Fight sin and put up with trials,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Your first task is to be dissatisfied with yourself, fight sin, and transform yourself into something better. Your second task is to put up with the trials and temptations of this world that will be brought on by the change in your life and to persevere to the very end in the midst of these things." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 59,5) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the Book of Isaiah presents the second of the songs of the suffering servant, who suffers, dies, and is raised as a weapon for God of justice and ministry. Even in defeat he will conquer as a light to all the nations. In the Gospel of John, Jesus begins the meal with the prediction of one, Judas, who will betray Him. When Judas leaves it is night. In the time of day and the choice of the dark by Judas, Jesus predicts His cross, the hour of glory in John’s Gospel. Friar Jude notes the contrast between Judas' darkness and Jesus' light. We have to live in the light and choose what is good and holy.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 49:1-6 comments that Holy Week is not about simply recounting events from long ago. God’s plan—his surprising, fanfare-free strategy of salvation—is still being revealed today. What began centuries ago with the promise of a restored Israel being “gathered” into one continues as all “the nations” gradually come together to receive the free gift of salvation (Isaiah 49:5, 6).

So make the way of humility—the surprising tactic of the mighty God—your Way of the Cross this week. Open yourself to the Lord’s mercy in Confession. Make time for a friend or neighbor or coworker who needs encouragement. Serve people in a way that mirrors Jesus’ heart of self-sacrificial love. Lean on him, your “secret weapon,” to withstand temptation. You can be confident that the Lord’s grace and mercy are constantly at work in you and around you, even in hidden and unexpected ways.

“Jesus, make me—like you—a polished arrow hidden by your side!” (Meditation on Isaiah 49:1-6, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Biblical scholar Jennifer Garcia Bashaw who considers ancient religious practices of scapegoating. From our places of comfort, we are challenged to reverse the all-too-common scapegoating that takes place in our culture.

And so, it is together that we must follow in Jesus’s footsteps, conforming our lives and our churches to the values Jesus modeled…. We must call for and participate in the same kind of reversal that Jesus did. We must lift up the poor, the oppressed, and the outcasts and bring down the people, powers, and systems that create poverty, that marginalize the weak, and that scapegoat the outsiders. We must gather together at the communion table to remember the scapegoat’s death—and what it revealed—so that we might trade the needless cycle of fear, blame, and violence for the liberating cycle of confession, inclusion, and imitation of Christ. The reversal of powers, this movement from being a community that scapegoats to a community that liberates, is how we can participate fully in the divine reign of God that is remaking the world. It is how we will finally follow Jesus, in his life and his death, toward a world without scapegoats. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)

As we journey through Holy Week we implore the Spirit to awaken our awareness and inspire our action to address betrayal that threatens liberation, life and love in our communities.

References

Isaiah, CHAPTER 49 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 31, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/49?1 

John, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 31, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/13?21 

Kemler, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 31, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-31-2026 

Meditation on Isaiah 49:1-6. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 31, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/31/1529858/ 

Psalms, PSALM 71 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved March 31, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/71?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Scapegoating Today. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 31, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/scapegoating-today/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Betrayal and Faltering Loyalty to Jesus. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 31, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/