16 April 2019 – Wednesday of Holy Week – Matthew 26:14-25

       Yesterday evening, I went to the Cathedral of St Peter the Apostle to attend the Chrism mass with other priests and lay people from the different parishes of the Diocese of Jackson.  The Chrism Mass takes place in the Cathedral of each Diocese in the Catholic Church during Holy Week, reminding us of our oneness in Christ through baptism and its holy anointing, made possible by the ministry of the Bishop and his priests. The Chrism mass is a key moment in which the unity of the Bishop with his priests is manifested and renewed. During the Chrism mass, the entire assembly is called to renew its baptismal promises.  Along with the other deacons and priests of our diocese, I renewed my vow of obedience to Bishop Kopacz and renewed my commitment to serve God’s people here at the parish of St Jude in Pearl and in our diocese.  I serve all of you here with a very joyful heart.  

         As I renewed my promise of obedience last night, I thought about how many aspects of our lives concern making choices, for renewing my obedience to the bishop was indeed a choice I make.  There are good choices we can make on our journey, choices that bring us closer to God.  But, then there are choices that take us away from God, choices that can build up and weigh us down. 

         In today's Gospel, we hear how Judas betrayed Jesus, how he shared the meal with Jesus and the rest of his disciples in celebration of the Jewish holidays. At the same time this celebration was going on, Judas knew in his heart that he would deliver Jesus into the hands of those who would harm him.  Judas is an example of choosing to go down the wrong road and abandoning our faith. 

         Then we have Jesus, the Son of God, who could have demanded that people serve him. But Jesus came to serve, not to be served.  Tomorrow, on Holy Thursday, we will remember how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, an action usually performed by a slave or a servant for a guest who had just come in from the dirty streets in Ancient Israel.  Jesus came to serve and to help others, which is so different from the attitude that Judas had, how he would betray his friend for his own personal gain.

         In our observance of Holy Week, we are called to remember all those things that we need to get rid of so that we will be more like Jesus, who came to serve, and less like Judas, who betrayed Jesus and thought of his own gain.