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.
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/
