Reflection
Jesus spent three years teaching followers and forming a close circle of friends. The apostles were not simply students. They were companions who traveled with him, listened to him, and shared in his ministry. Among them was Judas.
Imagine the pain Jesus must have felt when he realized that one of his closest companions had set in motion the events that would lead to his arrest, suffering, and death. Before the scourging, before the cross, the Passion begins with something deeply human. It begins with betrayal.
Emotional suffering is woven throughout the Passion narrative. That may be why today’s Gospel pauses to focus so closely on the encounter between Jesus and Judas.
Before his physical suffering begins, Jesus experiences a different pain, emotional suffering.
Those wounds are familiar to us. We may have difficulty relating to the physical agony of crucifixion, but we very likely understand emotional suffering. The list is a long one: the pain of divorce, betrayal by a friend, estrangement from a parent or child, being misunderstood, grief, anxiety, despair, the quiet weight of loneliness, to mention a few examples.
When we speak of the crucified of today, this includes those who are enduring physical or emotional pain or possibly both at the same time. Let us remember that Jesus carried that same suffering to the cross. Nothing we experience is unfamiliar to him.
The Passion did not begin on the cross. It began with the heartbreak of betrayal.
This Holy Week, and throughout the year, let us trust that our own wounds are seen, healed and never beyond hope.
