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.
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/
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