Day 103: Judas' Secrecy

John 13:1-20 Washing the feet of guests was a task normally performed by a household slave. The lesson Christ was trying to convey to his Apostles was that the most effective demonstration is a radical spirit of service that knows no limits. Christ is our model since he is God, who humbled himself to become a man like us in order to serve us and to save us from our sins. The ceremony of foot-washing is part of the Liturgy for Holy Thursday. (CCC 423, 2235)

Ch 13:1 The Last Supper that Christ had with his Apostles took place within the context of a Passover meal. The link is significant: Just as the first Passover won freedom for the Israelites, the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ would win freedom for all humanity for their sins.

He loved them to the end: Christ’s love for his people reached a crescendo first by washing the Apostles feet and ultimately through his Passion and Death on the Cross. It is this very love “to the end”-giving his life-that gives his Sacrifice its redemptive value. This great love remains with us in a special way through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, in which Christ’s redemptive Sacrifice is truly present in our midst. We also experience his unlimited love and mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. His Death on the Cross incarnates perfectly the New Commandment he gave his disciples. (CCC 609, 616, 622, 1380, 1823)

Ch 13:12-15 The washing of the Apostles’ feet is a marvelous example of the selfless service that Christ expects of his followers. 

You call me...and so I am: Christ identified himself explicitly with the title “Lord,” which affirms his divinity. (CCC 447, 520, 1269, 1694)

Ch 13:29-20 Christ sent his Apostles forth to carry on his mission in his name, identifying himself with the Apostles and the message they would prach.

Believe that I am he: The construction “I AM” again suggests that Christ was asserting his divinity as YHWH, the name of God revealed to Moses (cf. Ex 3:14). (CCC 206, 858)

Ch 13:23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved: Most probably a reference to John himself, of whom we will hear again later in his Gospel. For this reason, John was sometimes called “the beloved disciple.” It is this disciple whom Christ later would entrust the care of his Mother in his last moments before dying on the Cross (cf. Jn 19:27). (CCC 2679)

Ch 13:31-35 Christ summarized his entire body of teaching in his New Commandment: “Love one another even as I have loved you.” He was asking his disciples to love others with his own heart-THE HEART OF CHRIST. He made it clear that this is the kind of love that will attract others to the Gospel and to conversion. (CCC 782, 1970, 2822)

Ch 13:34-35 The Great Commandments call us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39). The New Commandment that Christ gave here calls us to become Christ in the order of mercy and love. (CCC 1822-1829, 2842)

Ch 13:36-38 Peter’s denial came after the Lord’s most moving gestures and words of boundless love, a love that prompted Christ to “lay down his life for his friends” and a love that merited a superabundance of grace to forgive all sins and to sanctify every individual. Through the grace of repentance, Peter would undergo a profound conversion and would courageously lead the Apostles and the rest of the Church, eventually suffering martyrdom for Christ. The redemption that Christ won on the Cross is more than sufficient for all sins, including Peter’s sin. (CCC 1851)

Ch 14:1-14 Although the disciples still did not fully grasp what was about to take place, Christ offered them hope and consolation in the face of their cowardice, fear, disloyalty, and disillusionment as he was arrested, tried, and crucified. Christ would be leaving them because he had to return to the Father, but his faithful people would be united to him through grace and directly see him in Heaven. (CCC 151)

Ch 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms: Christ here spoke of Heaven itself, where the faithful would dwell forever with God as his family. We cannot achieve this through our own human efforts; rather, we need Christ’s redeeming grace. He alone can lead us to our eternal home. In Heaven, each person will be rewarded according to his or her good works accomplished in cooperation with the grace of God. (CC 661, 1025, 2795)

Ch 14:5-6 I am the way, the truth, and the life: In reply to a question from Thomas, Christ reminded them that the way to the Father is knowing Christ and living up to his teaching and example. He is the way-the only way-because he is the revelation of the love of the Father and perfectly reveals God’s will for every person. By embracing his teaching, the followers of Christ achieve holiness and everlasting life. In summary, Jesus Christ is the meaning of human life. (CCC 74, 459, 1698, 2466, 2614)

Ch 14:8-11 Philip still failed to understand that CHRIST IS GOD. He is the very image of the Father who cannot be seen; his very life reveals the Father’s limitless love for his people; he and his Father ARE ONE. Christ urged him to believe this mystery because he had personally taught him and because he had proven his divinity through his miracles. (CCC 470, 516)

Ch 14:13-14 Even after his Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, Christ continues to serve as a Mediator and Intercessor to the Father for the needs of the faithful on earth, the Church. There is no need that is too insignificant. Christ revealed that the disciples who are faithful to his teaching should pray in his name and with confidence because such prayers of faith will always be heard. (CCC 2614, 2633, 2815)

Ch 14:15-31 Teach you all things: Christ promised that the Father would send the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles to help them remember all that Christ had done and taught. Those who love Christ will be recipients of the love of the Father and will become temples of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles understood little of this, but the Holy Spirit would grant them wisdom and courage once his Passion, Death, and Resurrection had been accomplished. (CCC 690, 1197, 2300, 2671)

Ch 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments: Love is not just words or interior feelings; authentic love is manifested through action. These commands to which Christ refers comprise the entire Gospel message. (CCC 2068, 2074-2075)

Ch 14:16-17 Counselor: This is sometimes translated as “advocate,” literally “he who is called to one’s side.” The Holy Spirit will serve as an intercessor before God, a source of strength in faith and a teacher of truth. 

He dwells with you, and will be in you: The Holy Spirit is present and active both in the Church as a community and in her individual members. Both the Church herself and each baptized person, therefore, can rightly be called a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (cf. Jn 14:23). Because of this indwelling, those who have true faith in Christ will know the HOly Spirit as well. The sequence prayed at the liturgy for Pentecost includes a prayer of invitation to the Holy Spirit: 

“Come, Holy Spirit, come!

And from your celestial home

Shed a ray of light divine!”

(CCC 687, 692,729, 2466, 2615)

Ch 14:18 I will not leave you desolate: Literally, “I will not leave you orphans.”

I will come to you: The spiritual presence of Christ remains on earth even after the Ascension. He is present in his Church, in his Word, in the liturgy, in communal prayer, and in his priestly ministers; in a unique way, he is present Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist under the appearance of bread and wine, which is reserved in the tabernacle inside every Catholic church. (CCC 521, 788)

Ch 14:22-23 Christ is known to the world but can only be known intimately by those who respond to him with love. He is the fullness of Divine Revelation, and through the light of faith, we can understand his divine truths. 

Judas (not Iscariot): The other Gospels list among the Apostles Jude or Thaddeus to distinguish him from Judas the betrayer. (CCC 260, 647, 2615)

Ch 14:23 We will...make our home with him: One who loves Christ and keeps the Commandments will have the Trinity dwelling within the soul through grace. For this reason, our bodies are called temples of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 260, 2615)

Ch 14:26 The Holy Spirit would descend upon the Apostles at Pentecost, fifty days after Christ rose from the dead. He would enlighten the Apostles, teaching them all they had failed to comprehend during the ministry of Christ, empowering them as interpreters and preachers of the Word of God and giving them fortitude and courage in the face of persecution and adversity. The teaching authority of the Church relies upon the Holy Spirit so the Gospel preached by Christ is taught according to the mind of Christ without any possibility of error to all generations. The Holy Spirit through the Church makes present Christ and his Sacrifice of redemption in the liturgy, particularly in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. (CCC 85-87, 243-244, 263, 729, 1099-1101, 2623)

Ch 14:27-31 Christ grants a peace that surpasses any kind of peace the world offers-not merely an absence of war or aggression but an infusion of God’s constant strength and interior serenity. 

But I do...love the Father: Obedience to God’s Commandments is proof of love for the Father, (CCC 606, 2305)

Ch 14:28 The Father is greater than I: Christ here refers to his humanity. As one of the three Persons of the Trinity, he is equal to God and is God himself; as fully man, he must die and be raised from the dead in order to ascend to the Father. As the ancient Athanasian Creed states, Christ “is equal to the Father in his divinity, less than the Father in his humanity.” (CCC 266)

Ch 14:30 Ruler of this world: This is the Devil. Christ would emerge victorious over the Devil as he willingly offered himself in reparation for the sins of humanity. The redemption flowing from his Sacrifice on the Cross makes it possible for us to live in communion with God. (CCC 606, 1851, 2853)

Ch 14:31 Christ’s acceptance of his Passion and Death was a gift of love not just offered to every person but to God the Father himself. (CCC 607, 1825)

Ch 15:1-8 The allegory of the vine and branches, so deeply rooted in the Old Testament (cf. Is 5:1-7), illustrates Christ’s teachings about effective discipleship. Bearing fruit in terms of extending the Kingdom of God, i.e., winning people over to repentance and commitment to Christian life, requires intimate union with Christ through the Eucharist (the vine) and the Word of God. In order to bear fruit, a branch of a plant must be organically connected to the vine, through which it receives life and nourishment. If the branch is broken from the vine, not only will it not bear fruit, but it will wither and die. In a similar way, to be a disciple of Christ means to be bound to Christ so we receive life and nourishment from him. He will live in us and we will live in him, and, in Christ, we will be united to one another. The Catechism characterizes the Holy Spirit as the “sap of the Father’s vine” that helps bring us into communion with Christ and beat fruit. (CCC 755, 859, 864, 1108, 1988)

Ch 15:5 It is noteworthy that before commissioning the Apostles to go and preach the Gospel, there was a strong exhortation to struggle for a close union with Christ. The success of the Church’s work of evangelization depends on the spiritual lives of the evangelizers. That is why the saints have been the best promoters of the Gospel.

Apart from me you can do nothing: A branch cannot grow while detached from the vine. We can only bear fruit-that is, attain personal holiness, do good works, and keep the Commandments-by the grace of God. Christ is the source of the work of the Church, both in the ministry carried out by her ordained ministers and in the apostolate of the laity as they strive to bring the light of Christ into their families and friendships. It is the love of Christ in his disciples that diffuses into other hearts. (CCC 308, 737, 787, 2074, 2732)

Ch 15:9-17 The New Commandment of Love summarizes the message of the entire Gospel. This command to love as Christ loved implies that our dispositions and conduct must reflect that of Christ. Christ must become our internal guide for how we live and what we choose to do. The Beatitudes elaborate on the meaning of the New Commandment and offer us the way to perfection that we can obtain with God’s grace. (CCC 459, 1823-1824, 1970, 2074)

Ch 15:13 To love as Christ did means to love our neighbor unconditionally. When Christ manifested his love by laying down his life, he taught us that charity involves total self giving for the good of those we encounter, beginning with those closest to us. The Church has always venerated the martyrs, who, by dying for Christ, are closely conformed to him. (CCC 609, 614) 

Venerate means to show respect for, or to revere

Venerate does NOT mean to worship

Ch 15:14-15 A servant does not generally have a friendship with his or her master and, therefore, is not privy to the details of a master’s thoughts and acts. Christ made it abundantly clear that the Apostles were his friends for whom he would lay down his life.

All that I have heard...to you: Christ’s teaching mission was complete; he would preach his final sermon from the Cross. The Father has revealed himself completely in the Son, and there will be no new Revelation after him. (CCC 65-66, 73, 142, 1972)

Ch 15:16-17 Christ called his Apostles once again to pray to the Father in his name. In the Sign of the Cross, recited before and after prayer, the faithful offer their prayers in the name of all three Persons of the Trinity. Prayer is essential to a life of discipleship, for it allows the Holy Spirit to immerse us increasingly into Christ and, thereby, to identify ourselves with the will of the Father. Prayer is, for a Christian, a communion of love with the Father in and through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 434, 2157, 2615, 2745, 2815)

Ch 15:18-27 Christ warned his Apostles that they would experience the same kind of rejection and persecution in the world as he did himself. He alerted his followers that the Cross would accompany their efforts in spreading the Gospel. He promised that the Holy Spirit would inspire them with the right words when falsely accused and would grant them the courage to bear all burdens. (CCC 530, 675)

Ch 15:26 The Catholic Church teaches that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Nicene Creed recited at Mass professes belief that Mary’s virginal conception of Christ occurred by the power of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit enlightens the mind to penetrate the teachings of Christ and gives strength to the will to live by those teachings. (CCC 244-248, 263, 692, 719, 1433)

Ch 15:27 Lay persons share in the priesthood of Christ by virtue of Baptism, where they are consecrated as “priests, prophets, and kings.” Through the common priesthood of the faithful (distinct from the ministerial priesthood), lay persons serve as witnesses to Christ through their faith, their virtues, and their example to others. (CCC 941-943)

(POP QUIZ!! What is the term that Fr. Mike refers to these kinds of priests? Answer in the Comment Section of the Facebook Group Post 😁)

• John 13-15 we have not only the Washing of the Disciples’ Feet

• Jesus is revealing that NO SERVANT IS GREATER THAN HIS MASTER

• AS I HAVE DONE SO YOU MUST ALSO DO

• That is an incredible reminder of the reality that Jesus did not come to be served, but TO SERVE

• Jesus came to give his life as a RANSOM FOR MANY

• Jesus also FORETELLS HIS BETRAYAL

• When Jesus announces his betrayal, “Truly, Truly, I say to you one of you will betray me.”

• The next line in John 13:22 “The disciples looked at one another uncertain of whom he spoke”

• Think about this 

• There are 12 men here who have lived with Jesus, camping out, roasting marshmallows, day and night for the last 2.5-3 years

• They would have to know each other VERY WELL at this point

• AND YET...😉

• When Jesus prophesied about his betrayal, none of them had any idea who the betrayer is

• They were at a loss as to whom Jesus meant

• Think about how Judas must have been living like

• He must have been living SUCH A PRIVATE LIFE even in the midst of his brothers, the other Apostles

• Judas was even given the RESPONSIBILITY of the money box for distributing money to the poor and buying needed supplies

• Everyone would have known who Judas was

• And yet he had this secret in his heart, in his life

• If Judas had not confided in someone

• For whatever reason, because we DO NOT KNOW WHY Judas betrayed Jesus

• If Judas had just TURNED TO SOMEONE, one of his BROTHERS

• If Judas had just TURNED TO JESUS, and talked to him about what he was thinking

• Think of the number of times we try to GO OUT ON OUR OWN, LIVE OUR LIVES ON OUR OWN, DO WHAT WE WANT TO ON OUR OWN

• Whenever we do that, maybe to hide the depths of our heart, maybe to protect ourselves, maybe to protect others, it almost always ENDS IN DISASTER

• Peter also had a quite the evening

• His denial is foretold as well

• Peter is SO SURE of himself

• Peter says, “Lord, why can I not follow you? I will lay down my life for you.”

• Jesus tells Peter that he is weaker than he thinks and needs more help than he realizes

• “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”

• BUT THEN…

• Jesus tells them HE IS THE WAY

• Jesus tells them HE IS THE TRUTH

• Jesus tells them HE IS THE LIFE

• He will come back to them and take them to himself

• SO POWERFUL

• SO GOOD

• SO INCREDIBLE

• Finally we have the PROMISE of the Holy Spirit

• Jesus says, “I will give you ANOTHER Consoler”

• What does this mean?

• It means JESUS is the FIRST CONSOLER

• The Holy Spirit is the OTHER CONSOLER

• These are the ARMS OF THE FATHER, our Dad in Heaven, that reach out to embrace us

• One arm is Jesus the Son

• One arm is The Holy Spirit

• We have the choice of whether we want to live in that embrace or not

• Jesus’ Words of Power are ABIDE IN ME

• WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING

• This CONVICTS ALL OF US

• BUT IN ME, ALL THINGS...ALL THINGS

• Whatever you are struggling with today

• Whatever battles you are facing today

• Whatever challenges you are in the middle of today

• Whatever fears or anxieties are threatening to dominate your heart 

• JUST REMEMBER

• We are called to ABIDE IN THE HEART OF OUR LORD

• THIS DUDE ABIDES

• PRAY FOR FR. MIKE

• PRAY FOR EACH OTHER

• No matter the circumstance

• No matter the situation

• Whether we be revealed as a Judas

• Whether we are revealed to be a Peter

• WE PRAY FOR EACH OTHER THAT WE ALWAYS WILL ABIDE IN CHRIST’S HEART

• The truth of the matter is that at ONE POINT or in MANY POINTS in our lives, WE ARE JUDAS who betrays Jesus’ love 

• Or 

• We are PETER that we deny that we’ve ever been close, that we know this God, who has given everything for us

• So help us, God in Heaven

• Pray for each other that when we do find ourselves as the BETRAYER, the DENIER, as the one who has WALKED AWAY or RUN AWAY, that we allow the Grace of Jesus to bring us back.

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we give you praise. Father, we thank you. You are our good Dad and because Jesus Christ the redeemer has sent the consoler, the Spirit of Truth into our hearts, we can call you Dad. Because you look at us and you call us your sons and your daughters. And so this day, this day we praise you and we give you thanks. This day we also come to you with our need because we know that you are a good Dad. And you see us in the midst of our needs and you come to us with your help. Father in Heaven, help us to never have mercenary hearts that just come to you when we need. But help us to have hearts like yours, hearts like your Son, hearts like Jesus, where we love you in the midst of all seasons and all circumstances where there is nothing that can stop us from doing your will. And nothing that can stop us from abiding in the presence and in the heart, in the Grace of your Son, Jesus. Help us to abide in you this day and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”