Points for PrayerWednesday of Holy Week

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,went to the chief priests and said,“What are you willing to give meif I hand him over to you?”They paid him thirty pieces of silver,and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,the disciples approached Jesus and said,“Where do you want us to preparefor you to eat the Passover?”He said,“Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,‘The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near;in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”‘“The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,and prepared the Passover.

When it was evening,he reclined at table with the Twelve.And while they were eating, he said,“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”Deeply distressed at this,they began to say to him one after another,“Surely it is not I, Lord?”He said in reply,“He who has dipped his hand into the dish with meis the one who will betray me.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.”

1

The drama continues. You may have spent yesterday’s time of prayer imagining this scene as John portrays it. Today it’s Matthew’s version. If you are so inclined, you could begin the prayer using your imagination to see this gathering of Jesus with his disciples, seeing the betrayal in action, hearing the apprehension and distress in the voices of his followers as each one says “Surely, it is not I, Rabbi?”

Can you imagine this played on a “revolving” stage? First, you see Judas with the authorities, bargaining away the life of Jesus. Then, as the stage revolves you see Jesus telling some his disciples to prepare for Passover. The stage revolves once again, and you see all gathered at table and here Jesus speaking of his imminent betrayal. As the stage revolves, you see Judas, alone, separated from Jesus and his former friends.

Judas is a “stand alone” character in the Gospels. He is the villain of the story. And he is an easy target for blame, scorn and scapegoating. You can easily imagine him wearing a scarlet letter setting him off from the rest of humankind as one to be shunned in his shame. That is certainly the way the Gospel writers portray him. Even in Matthew’s Gospel where he repents of the evil he has done to an innocent man, he is rejected and scorned and takes his own life.

Truth is that we “do not know the man.” We do not know his interior life, his motivations for what he did. Was he a thief and a villain as he portrayed? Was he handing Jesus over in the hopes that this would force him to use his divine power to bring about the kingdom of God on earth? (Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar) Was he resentful and jealous of “the disciple whom Jesus loved?” Or was he just a pawn in the cosmic drama of redemption. Someone had to play the antagonist.

In your prayer, would you dare to “ask for the grace to know Judas” as one like you and me, flawed and in need of understanding and forgiveness? Can you imagine Judas leaning on Jesus as a “beloved” disciple, restored to a loving relationship? What would a colloquy with Judas offer you?

May I suggest that as part of your prayer you look at a section of For the Greater Glory of God? In the First Week, we hear the story of the Prodigal Son who after his reconciliation with his father dances You Search Me, David Haas’ beautiful setting of Psalm 139. In your prayer, can you imagine

the Judas as a composite of the younger and the older son? What difference would that make in the way you might imagine him? (The prodigal story begins 13:30 minutes into the video. The dance is at 17:00) (In this version, it’s an older sister and a younger brother.)

https://vimeo.com/265442500#t=1020sFather: Rev. Edwin JohnsonDaughter: Cha Cha EppsSon: Steven CornwallVocalist: Paul Melley

II

Yesterday, I went for a walk on roads that most of you would be very familiar with from your retreats at Eastern Point. The day before, I had seen a weeping willow tree and some daffodil bushes on the road that goes up to Atlantic Avenue, while driving to the supermarket. I knew I wanted to return to photograph them for this reflection, especially the weeping willow. I walked to Niles Beach and then, taking a right, began my “uphill” journey. What I didn’t expect, however, was feeling like some kind of “alien.” There was a group of 3 people coming in the other direction and when they saw me, they crossed the street. After I passed, they came back to the original side. This very same thing happened with another group or people. I understand it was for social distancing but the feeling I had, was one of being an outcast, a pariah, an alien and not a human being. Is that how Judas felt, even before he betrayed Jesus? Is that how he felt after?

Does the loneliness and isolation of this time we are living now reveal to you what Jesus must have felt being denied and betrayed and separated from those he loved? Are you able to speak to Jesus about your own feelings during this time of isolation and alienation from what is familiar?

III

A number of years ago I created a dance piece whose title was “Knot/Not I.” I had been listening to the score of La Pasión Según San Marcos and was quite taken with this musical setting by Osvaldo Gólijov, a Venezuelan composer. His setting of today’s Gospel with the refrain “Surely, Not I/ ¿Acaso no soy yo? set to salsa rhythms captured my imagination and I

began to envision Jesus as a salsa dancer! In fact, the person who dances the role of Jesus, Edwin Johnson is an Episcopal priest who is also a salsa dancer. (God if good!) In the choreography, which focuses on the relationship between Jesus and his disciples, beginning with the entry into Jerusalem, I tried to suggest how knotted together their lives were. I was also trying to make Judas a more complex character than he is usually portrayed. Judas is the ultimate “bad guy” and in a way is an easy scapegoat, winning the infamous title of “worst betrayer in the world.” In my choreography I’m grappling with the question, “Is there a way of looking more deeply into Judas’ motivation that acknowledges the complexity of human behavior rather than pointing a finger and saying, “Surely, it was you!” Judas is danced by Steven Cornwall, a professional dancer from Kingston, Jamaica.

Here is a link to the choreography https://vimeo.com/41647854

The images below are the willow tree from my walk, a daffodil bush and a tree that looks like it has experienced its own passion and crucifixion. And yet, with the daffodils in front of it, it looks like there’s still hope….

Bob VerEecke SJ joined the staff of Eastern Point last October. He spent 40 years at Boston College as Chaplain, Jesuit Artist-in-Residence and Pastor of St Ignatius Church for 27 of those years. He was pastor of St. Francis Xavier in NYC for two years. He considers himself fortunate to be working at Gonzaga, a place that has always been “Holy Ground” for him.