Spy Wednesday

I am not making this up.  Today is Spy Wednesday.  It's the day that Judas betrayed Jesus to the authorities. His skulking about was reminiscent of spies, who operate in the shadows. Voila, Spy Wednesday, which just might be the coolest name in the liturgical lexicon.  Of course, that's if you set aside what happened.

At the heart of the passion story is human failing. Fear, paranoia, betrayal, greed all come to the fore.  Some modern people might look for "root causes" to explain what happened, but if they do, they miss the point.  Jesus died because people acted badly: they did not have moral compasses, they did not have courage, they did not want to go to the light.  They sinned.  If society was flawed, it was because of the actions and choices of people.  This isn't to say that good people were not present, but they did not carry the day.  Men and women still sin today.  We are just as prone to stumble, fall, err, and fail as our forebears.

Each of us has the potential to sin.  But each of us has the potential to be redeemed.  As we remember the day when Judas turned on Jesus, we ask that we have the strength to do what's right, to look to the light, to stand with Jesus, even at the foot of the cross.

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