Reflection/Homily: Palm/Passion Sunday – Year C
Theme: The Painful Betrayal of a Friend
William Shakespeare in
his play “Julius Caesar” narrated the betrayal of Julius Caesar by his best
friend Marcus Junius Brutus. Brutus conspired with some senators to attack
Caesar who made every effort to resist his attackers. But when Caesar noticed
the involvement of Brutus in the attack, he knew he had been betrayed by a
friend and was disposed to be defeated. Stabbed with a dagger, Caesar died with
the words “Et tu Brute” (even you
Brutus) on his lips.
Today’s narrative of the
passion and death of Christ presents some similarities between the murder of
Caesar and that of Christ. Both were murdered by a group of conspirators and
their murder were facilitated with the betrayal of their closest friends who
ate and dinned with them. In the betrayal of Jesus, we see the greatest
manifestation of the personality of Judas, the friend who betrayed Jesus and
that is why today, we want to reflect on his treachery with a view not to
condemn him the more but to find traces of him in our lives.
Unlike Brutus who wanted
Caesar killed, Judas never wanted Jesus killed. Instead, he was interested in
the money he would get if he assisted the Chief priests to arrest Jesus.
Probably, seeing Jesus escape several times from the wrath of the Pharisees, he
thought Jesus would have miraculously saved himself from death. The whole drama
became clear to him only when Jesus was condemned to death. For the love of
this same money, today, innocent people are harassed and killed, the truth is
hidden, expired and substandard goods are sold in the market and our friendship
with God is compromised. Each time we engage in things like these, we betray
Christ as Judas did.
