What you are going to do, do quickly

HOLY TUESDAY 7 APRIL (Jn 13,21-33.36-38)

Jesus lives in full knowledge of every Word written for him by the Father. In the light, wisdom, intelligence and science of the Holy Spirit he knows it, and in his fortitude he obeys it. He walks in history always attracted by the light of the Spirit of God that shines on him more than the sun on our earth. He is far beyond what wisdom teaches about revelation. He is always in dialogue with the Father in the Holy Spirit: “For what man knows God’s counsel, or who can conceive what our Lord intends? For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns. And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out? Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight, and men learned what was your pleasure, and were saved by Wisdom” (Wis 9,13-18). In the Spirit of the Lord, Jesus knows that his hour has come. He is by now ready for this. He revealed it to the Jews: “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again”” (Jn 12,27-28). Judah can walk on the path of his sin. He is a part of the sin of the world, but he is not all the sin of the world. However, his is a very sad sin, because it is a sin of treason towards his Master, his Friend, his Lord and his great Benefactor. He had been elected by Jesus to be his apostle, minister of his mysteries and administrator of his eternal riches. There is no greater honor and glory on earth and in the heavens.

When he had said this, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant. One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him, “Master, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.” So he dipped the morsel and (took it and) handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After he took the morsel, Satan entered him. So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”  (Now) none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him. Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or to give something to the poor. So he took the morsel and left at once. And it was night. When he had left, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.  (If God is glorified in him,) God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you. Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?” Jesus answered (him), “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later.” Peter said to him, “Master, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times.”

Why does Jesus say to Judas: “What you want to do, do it quickly”? First of all to show him that He does not depend on his betrayal. He knows his time has come and voluntarily goes to meet it. Knowing it, if he wanted, he could also escape. But He did not come to escape, but to embrace the cross and redeem the world with it. Judas must know that he did everything for his thirty miserable coins. Never might his gesture be clothed with nobility. It remains ignoble forever. He is neither necessary nor indispensable for his death. This is beyond his betrayal. Today the world does not think so. First of all it justifies Judas and canonizes him raising him to the honours of the altars, while he is only a traitor. Moreover it wants to make him an instrument in God’s hands. He is an instrument, but in the hands of the devil, as scribes, Pharisees, chief priests and elders of the people are instruments of the devil. Satan has misled them and they have let themselves be misled. Judah is part of the sin of the world, but he is not the entire sin.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints arrange that we are never a part of the sin of the world.