Woe to those who betray Jesus!
Better for them if they had never been born
April 8th, 2020
Holy Wednesday
(Draft)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Today, Wednesday of the Holy Week, let us meditate on a passage from the evangelist Matthew that speaks of the betrayal of Judas; he who was a friend of Jesus; he who was called to be His friend; he who betrayed His friendship and the His Spirit.
Jesus, betrayed in His being Man and betrayed in His being God.
Judas did not betray for money: money wasn’t the reason for Judas’ betrayal. Judas betrayed out of pride, out of haughtiness, because his “self” wanted to prevail over God, over the Man-God. This is the fundamental motivation that led this man to betray the Holy Spirit and to let the unholy spirit enter his heart: the spirit of one who, in turn, had betrayed God the Father Almighty out of pride, for not having accepted the plan of God the Father Almighty for the salvation of this humanity.
Thus, Judas did not accept the way of working of God, Jesus Man-God, aimed to bring salvation to this humanity. Here is his “”self”; here is his haughtiness which led him to disown, to betray the Love and the friendship of that Man and the Holy Spirit, God, who in that Man, Jesus, always is.
Judas was alone in facing his trial, he was with people who did not follow Jesus (as Jesus himself tells us in His “Revelation” to Maria Giuseppina Norcia) and therefore he lost his soul, he fell prey to the unholy spirit and now he is in hell. There’s no doubt about that. Those who now harbour doubts that Judas is lost for eternity, have either misunderstood Jesus’ words or are consciously lying knowing to lie.
Jesus’ words are unequivocal. “Better if he had never been born” says Jesus of the one who betrayed the Son of man. The mother of Judas cursed her womb for having given birth to the one who betrayed the Son of God.
Anyone who betrays the Holy Spirit, anyone who becomes an apostate, goes to hell, falls and causes the falling of many, and the condemnation for all of them is eternal, as well as for all those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Here is then that the acknowledgement of the drama of all what revolves around the betrayal suffered by Jesus, must be our reason for clinging even more tightly to Jesus, for surrendering our will to Jesus, so to be able to follow him, always and anyway, never allowing our “self” to take the place of God.
Here is the spiritual docility to which we are called to. Here is that deep humbleness that becomes a fertile ground for Jesus to work in, just as it happened for Mary, the all pure, the all beautiful, the Immaculate, She who allowing Herself to be pervaded by the Holy Spirit has become a perfect instrument in the hands of the Creator, so becoming His most beautiful Work. Mary faithful bride. This is the living example around which we want to focus our meditation today. And in the same way, for those who have fallen, for those who have experienced the pain of the downfall, the living example must be that of St. Peter, who got back up and won; the living example must be that of St. Paul, who fell, after having erred, so then loved his God even more, having met Him gave himself totally, without fear, going against everything and everyone for the sake of his Jesus, despising all that is worldly, having no more regard even for death. “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain” he has come to say.
Here is the opposite of betrayal: the living and total faithfulness. “Rather than betraying, it is better to die“, St. Paul teaches us. This is our will today to take a stand even more in remaining faithful to Jesus, so to be able to comfort His Heart by our love and to renew once again our promise of eternal faithfulness to Him, on the example of Mary, faithful Bride: not thinking today about those who betrayed, not thinking about the betrayers of yesterday and of today, not thinking that there is a little Judas inside each one of us, for it is not so.
God is inside us, the Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Mother of God are inside us; by baptism we have become sons of God and consequently sons of Mary. This is inside us, this Spirit dwells inside us.
Let us thank God for all He has given us. Let us thank God for letting us experience His living presence here, in the New Jerusalem, the Land chosen by the Father to bring everything to fulfilment.
Here is today our thanks to Her who is Mother, to Her who welcomed us and made us reborn to new life, allowing us to live the Kingdom, already from now, here, in the New Jerusalem. Let’s remain today in this joy. Let’s live Mary, let’s think of Mary, let’s turn our thanks to Mary, let’s thank Her for all the fruits of Her Holy Love that She has given us today, so that we may say together with Her who is our Mother: “I love You, Jesus, I love You so much, I rely on You, do not leave me alone. Do with me as You please; Your will be done“, so to remain faithful for ever and ever, as She was and is faithful.
May Jesus, together with Mary, bless us today in a special way to give us His grace and grant us to be always faithful.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.