 |
| Judas Iscariot betrayal of Jesus |
Stuck in Denial
Excerpt from the Book
Lent and Easter Reflections -
Catholic Daily Reflections Series
by John Paul Thomas
(Wednesday of Holy Week)
“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.” Matthew 26:25
Was Judas in denial? Did he truly think that he was not the
one who was to betray Jesus? We do not
know for certain what was going on in Judas’ mind, but one thing is clear. . .
he did betray Jesus. And it appears from
his words that he didn’t see his act as a betrayal and, therefore, he was in
deep denial.
Denial, if written out as an acronym, has been said to mean
that I “don’t know I am lying.” Perhaps Judas was so steeped in his own sin
that he couldn’t even admit to himself, let alone to others, that he was lying
and preparing to betray Jesus for money.
This is a scary thought.
It’s scary because it reveals one of the effects of
persistent sin.
Persistent sin makes sin easier.
And eventually, when one persists in the same
sin,
that sin is easily rationalized,
justified and denied as sin altogether.
When one gets stuck in this downward spiral
of persistent sin it’s hard to get out.
And often the only way to survive the psychological tension is to remain
in denial.
 |
| Judas the Betrayer |
This is an important lesson for us this Holy Week. Sin is never fun to look at and takes great
courage to do so. But imagine if Judas
would have actually confessed to what he was about to do. Imagine if he would have broken down in front
of Jesus and the other Apostles and told them the whole truth. Perhaps that act of honesty would have saved
his life and eternal soul. It would have
been painful and humiliating for him to do so, but it would have been the right
thing to do.
The same is true with you.
Perhaps you are not to a point where your sin is leading you to outright
betrayal of Jesus, but everyone can find some pattern of sin in their lives
this Holy Week. You must seek to discover, with God’s help, some pattern or
habit you have formed. What a great
discovery this would be if you could then face this sin with honesty and
courage. This would enable you to shed
any bit of denial regarding your sin and enable you to conquer that sin so as
to discover the freedom God wants you to experience!
Reflect today, upon Judas saying to Jesus, “Surely it is not
I, Rabbi?” This sad statement from Judas
must have deeply wounded our Lord’s Heart as He witnessed the denial of
Judas. Reflect, also, upon the many
times that you deny your sin, failing to sincerely repent. Make this Holy Week a time for honesty and
integrity. The Lord mercy is so deep and
pure that, if you would understand it, you would have no need to remain in any
form of denial of your sins.
Lord, help me this Holy
Week to have the courage I need to face my sin and weakness. I am a sinner, dear Lord, but it can be very
hard for me to admit it. May I entrust
my sin to You so that I may be set free and receive, in its place, Your
abundant mercy. Jesus I trust in You.
Excerpt from the Book
Lent and Easter Reflections -
Catholic Daily Reflections Series
by John Paul Thomas
I highly recommend this book you can order it on Amazon..books and Kindle edition.
I highly recommend this book you can order it on Amazon..books and Kindle edition.
