Matt
26:14-25
The
drama of the betrayal of Christ by Judas calls for a sober reflection on our
responsibility to defend and protect the dignity of friendship and human life which
no amount of money can be compare with. In today’s gospel, Matthew gives an
account of the betrayal of Jesus by a close friend—Judas. The fact that Christ called
Judas as an apostle, made him the bursar in charge of the common treasury, and
dipped bread into the wine and gave Judas has a lot to say about the love he
has for him. All Judas did was to betray his master, bit the finger that fed
him because of money. Now, look into your relationship. Is it money that controls
it all? What is the driving force behind this friendship of yours? Can it
continue without money?
Secondly, there is a
popular cliché that of money is the root of all evil. But I think it is love of
money and greed that are the root of all evil. The fact remains that money is
only as evil or good as we human beings make it. If used in the right way, it
will lead to a wholesome end. However, if acquired and used in the wrong way, its
result can be perpetually catastrophic.
Finally,
Christ offers us the same kind of love he offered to Judas. It is left for us to reciprocate it.
Unfortunately, today most of us are in the same net with Judas. Betrayal of
Christ for money comes in several forms in our contemporary world. When we sell
our bodies for money we betray Christ. When we collect bribe and extort poor and
innocent citizens we betray Christ who the poor represent. Today, a lot of
people make huge sum of money from business ventures that undermine the inalienable
right and dignity of the human person. Do you love money more than God that you
don’t pay attention to your spiritual life? What shall it profit a man if he loses
his soul after acquiring all the money in the whole world? May God help us.
