What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?

Is 50,4-9a; Ps 68; Mt 26,14-25
17 APRIL

History is the result of multiple responsibilities. When history passes before the particular responsibility of every person, he is obliged to give it the right direction towards the good, collaborating so that he may set out on the path of truth and abandon the path of falsehood and sin, transgression and disobedience to the God’s will, but above all, if he cannot direct it towards the good, he must absolutely avoid lending it his evil contribution. This can only happen by overcoming every temptation and remaining in the purest obedience to the will of the Lord our God and Creator. Temptation can be direct and indirect, evident or hidden, manifest and less manifest. It is the duty of every man not to let himself be carried away into temptation, but it is also his obligation not to tempt his brothers. The woman lets herself be tempted by the snake. She drags her history into disobedience. Does she stop at herself? No. She tempts the man, who, letting himself be seduced by her, drags all future humanity to the death into which he has brought human nature. If Adam had not succumbed to temptation, humanity would have certainly had a completely different future. This truth must teach us that good or evil, life or death for all humanity can be born from our person. Nobody thinks that only one decision is enough to orient history in one direction rather than another. Everyone is convinced that history is made by others. Every man is like a drop of water. It can do nothing alone. The moment two drops of water come together, then great disasters begin. It is urgent to interrupt every union of evil, it is urgent to build every communion in the good. Just as the power of evil is the union of more people that consign themselves to it, so the power of good is communion and perseverance in the obedience of those who consecrate themselves to the Word. Jesus came to create a most powerful communion in truth and light, in goodness and grace and in justice and in sanctity. We are obliged to communion.

Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, “My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”‘” The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”

Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin have decided to kill Jesus. Let us ask the people of Jerusalem for help. They do not ask it in a hidden, but in a clear and public way. Let who knows where Jesus is hiding, come and tell it. Thus he might be arrested, tried, sentenced and killed. There is no mention of any cash reward. Judah was not tempted by any person. Nobody tricked him so that he betrayed the Master. It was he who let himself be tempted, just as it was he who freely presented himself to the chief priests, wanting to consign Jesus. It was he who asked for money as a price or a reward for his act of betrayal. Who tempted Jesus is his concupiscence, his love for money and his insatiable thirst. He did not allow the Holy Spirit to enter with his fortitude, wisdom and science into his heart. The flesh has had the upper hand in him. Judas ought to teach everyone, especially to men of religion, that if we do not grow in grace, at the moment of temptation we will certainly fall. There are no excuses for us. There is a sin upstream that makes us accountable before God and men. Avoiding the first sin is necessary.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, help us to always avoid the first sin.