There's a little Judas in all of us

Judas Iscariot is usually portrayed as a dark and murky figure, one who represents evil and betrayal. It's easier to keep him in that caricature, because it's more comfortable if we think that Judas is completely different from us. If he is that evil and that traitorous, we can move him to a different level and never have to face the ways we have betrayed Jesus in our own lives.   But, was he really that different from the rest of us?

If you really think about it, there are times all of us betray Jesus. We don't have lives that are as honest as we want. We gossip and spread stories, stories that “won't really hurt anyone.” We spend too many minutes in church evaluating the dress or beliefs of others. We refuse to forgive those who have wronged us, and we carry our un-forgiving anger like a badge of honor. We speak to our spouses and family members sharply and without the extra love and care that their role in our lives deserves.

Judas' worst decision was in believing he could not be forgiven. All of us are forgiven, always. Jesus loves us with our full range of sins. We forget because we focus on ourselves and our sins, rather than on Jesus. We can get wrapped up in our own guilt and our own sense of the importance of our sins. We become blind to Jesus kneeling next to us, washing our feet and loving us from the deepest part of His Sacred Heart.