TUESDAY HOMILY- HOLY WEEK YEAR B
TUESDAY HOMILY- HOLY WEEK YEAR B
THEME: SATAN’S ATTACK.
BY: FR. KARABARI PAUL
‘So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot….Satan entered into him’ (John 13:21-38).
Our Lord talking about who was to betray him, said: “It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it”, he was actually using a gesture of friendship. The giving of the morsel seems to have been an old Greek custom as well as an Oriental one. Socrates said that, in all instances, the giving of a morsel to a table neighbour was a mark of favour. A few minutes before the hands of the Son of God had washed the feet of Judas; now the same Divine hands touched the lips of Judas with a morsel; in a few hours, the lips of Judas would kiss the face of Jesus in the final act of betrayal. Betrayal is sometimes blind to love. Like some of us, all the time, Judas must have been putting on an act of deceptive loyalty to Jesus. But by our outward actions, we may deceive men; but God sees all things. Judas kissed Jesus on his face, and that should be a friendly gesture, but it was a deceitful way to betray his master. It is a bit difficult to deal with deceptive friends without discernment and grace. They can advise you to embrace your grave, and you will gladly accept it.
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Satan usually prefers to work incognito, so frequently, he will attack us through people, especially those closest to us. Our Lord had said before: “A man will find his enemies under his own roof” (Matt.10:36). And nothing is more dangerous than the enemy from within. The Bible tells us, “The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas…to betray Jesus” (John 13:2 ).
Judas was the treasurer among the Apostles of Jesus. Anyone who keeps money in any organisation is considered a trusted person. But that became the source of Judas’ downfall. It seems Judas was constantly preoccupied with money, and Satan exploited it to his destruction. During the three years that Judas followed Jesus, he heard him repeatedly warn about the danger of loving money, but he failed to get the message.
Your mind never stops working, and if you don’t take control of it, it will take control of you. Paul writes: “Whatsoever things are true…noble…just…pure…lovely…of good report…if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.” What you become is a direct result of what your mind dwells on. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life consists of what a man (or woman) is thinking about all day.” John Locke said, “The actions of men (or women) are the greatest interpreters of their thoughts.” James Allen said, “You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” This is why the apostle Peter warns: “prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control” (1 Peter 1:13). And the psalmist says: “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me…Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:13-14).
Remarkably, the scripture says Judas went out, and it was night; a fitting description for a deed of darkness. It is always night for anyone who goes away from Christ to follow their own purposes. It is always night when hate puts out the light of love. Judas abandoned Christ the light of the world to embrace the darkness that would consume his soul. We must all fight against greed in our soul. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE . God Eternal Father, for the many times we have shown preference for the deeds of darkness, forgive us and never deprive us of your presence through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning.
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