Gospel Matthew 26:14-25
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."

Reflection
There are many ways to try to fathom the meaning and the mystery of why Judas was part of the disciples.
But it has. It had to be written. So there's something about him that is more than just him. It's a symbol that he carries. And the symbol to me is the power of evil over human beings before Christ, death and resurrection. And when he says those lines, it seems so, so hurtful in a way to the plight of Judas in saying it would be better if he was never born, but he had to be born.
So what is Jesus really saying? I believe he's really saying that it would be better not to live on this planet if evil has power over us because we're not as strong as evil. And he's come to destroy the power of evil over us. And he's just simply saying the plight of human beings has always been that they are too susceptible to evil.
And now they are strengthened by my spirit, we have to believe we have that power in us to name evil and to drive it out.

The Closing prayer
Father, your gift is beyond our imagining. Unless we really fathom the susceptibility, we have to be lied to and to believe those lies, to choose things that seem to be for our benefit. But actually are destructive. Give us that wisdom and that light. We long for it more than ever. And we ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

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