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Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled
and testified, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray
me.” John 13:21
Love, betrayal, divine glory, and human weakness permeate today’s
Gospel, offering us a contrast of emotions and experiences to
ponder. All forms of joys and trials affect our lives. Life is not
“a bed of roses,” as the old saying goes. Besides joy, love, and
excitement, we are touched by hurt, anger, fear, and anxiety. The
same was true of Jesus’ human experience with His disciples and all
those who encountered Him. Through no fault of His own, Jesus was a
polarizing figure. Some people loved Him deeply—such as His Blessed
Mother, John, Mary of Bethany, and Mary of Magdala—while others
despised Him, such as the scribes and Pharisees. Today’s Gospel
presents us with another figure whose life added great drama to the
Gospel story—not because he loved or hated Jesus with passion—but
because he was greedy and spiritually misguided. Today we read
Saint John’s account of the Last Supper. Jesus and His disciples
were gathered in the Upper Room to celebrate the Passover meal. He
began by washing the disciples’ feet, a profound act of humble
service. After this, Jesus prophesied that one of the Twelve would
betray Him. When John, the Beloved Disciple, asked who the traitor
was, Jesus identified Judas by handing him a morsel of food—an act
of intimate friendship and trust. At that moment, “Satan entered
him.” With both meekness and authority, Jesus told Judas: “What you
are going to do, do quickly.” And immediately, “Judas took the
morsel and left at once. And it was night” (John 13:27, 30). The
night’s unfolding drama did not end with Judas’s betrayal. Jesus
also revealed to Peter, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will
not crow before you deny me three times” (John 13:38).
Though Jesus was God, He was also fully human, capable of feeling
every human emotion to a much greater degree than we are, due to
the perfection of His humanity. Therefore, within Jesus’ human soul
we discover a profound contrast of emotions to the full range of
human experience. One of the Twelve will hand Him over to death
later that evening, while another, the one He would entrust with
the leadership of His Church, would deny he even knew Jesus. On top
of that, Jesus was fully aware that later that night He would be
arrested, tortured, falsely accused, imprisoned, and await the
sentence of death in the morning. He not only felt the effects of
these events within His humanity, but His empathy enabled Him to
perceive the experiences of the Twelve, His mother, and all who
hated Him. He felt their pain, confusion, and anger far before they
did, and He felt those emotions much deeper than they ever would.
Only His mother, who would stand by Him faithfully at the Cross,
would experience the depth of human suffering that Jesus felt
within His soul.
Why would God take on human nature and permit Himself to experience
such pain? Because all human emotions—even pain—-needed to be
intermingled with divine love. Because of the hypostatic union, all
of Christ’s human experiences—whether joyful or sorrowful—were
perfectly united with divine love and transformed into sources of
grace for those whom He loves. His courageous entrance into His
Passion makes it possible for us to endure our own human trials
with His strength, hope, and peace.
Reflect today on your life and the experiences you endure and
enjoy. If some experiences are overwhelming, know that Jesus
perfectly understands, deeply empathizes, and offers a remedy. He
invites you into His own trials, promising you His divine strength
to untangle confusion and flood you with peace. Unite the blessings
you enjoy with Jesus’ Passion as well. Among Jesus’ greatest
earthly delights was the love His mother lavished upon Him,
especially as she stood faithfully at the foot of the Cross. With
our Lord, receive your blessings with gratitude and allow them to
strengthen you so that you may endure your own daily trials, guided
by His meekness and authority, leading you to a share in His
Resurrection.
My empathetic and understanding Lord, by taking on our human
nature, You permitted Yourself to experience everything we
experience. Though sinless, You endured the effects of sin with
suffering and love. Please draw me into Your human joys and trials
so that I can live my life in You, by You, and through You,
receiving grace through Your humanity so as to share in Your glory
and divinity. Jesus, I trust in You.
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