REMEMBER JESUS

Judas betrayed Jesus in exchange for thirty silver coins. It is the amount of money given for a slave gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32). How could Judas do such a thing when he himself witnessed and experienced the goodness and kindness of Christ? Why would Judas choose worldly riches over his Lord and Savior?

To deceive is to cause someone to believe something that is not true. And Satan is the father of lies and deception. Judas chose to be Christ’s betrayer for he was deceived by Satan. How can the Lord of the universe be valued for only thirty silver coins? Such is not true. Such is a deception. And Judas fell into this deception of Satan. Thus Christ was betrayed by one of his intimate friends.

The deception of Satan to Judas succeeded because of Judas’ forgetfulness. Judas forgot the goodness of Christ. Judas forgot that nothing is more value in this world than to have Jesus in one’s life. Judas forgot that the Lord alone suffices. The forgetfulness of Judas is the same forgetfulness that causes us to fall again and again into the deceptions of Satan. We sin and transgress the Lord primarily because we have forgotten about Him and His significance in our life. We exchange the Lord for thirty silver coins of career more than integrity. We exchange the Lord for the thirty silver coins of passing pleasures of sin more than eternal joy He offers to us. We exchange the Lord for thirty silver coins because God has lost His place in our life, changed by the little gods we have created to answer our own selfish desires. Like Judas, we have betrayed Jesus.

How can we be faithful to Jesus and not abandon Him? We can remain devoted to Jesus by being always mindful of Him, that we may not forget Him in our life: To remember always Jesus as the Servant of God who willingly suffered for our sake, who gave his back to those who beat him; his cheeks to those who plucked his beard; whose face he did not shield from buffets and spitting (Is 50:4-9A). We can be constantly reminded of God’s goodness to us if we constantly think about Jesus, especially in the tipping points of our life that demands life-changing decisions. Thinking about Him should lead us to speak about Him, and ultimately live out His teachings. By our way of thinking, speaking, and living guided by Jesus, we will constantly be reminded of His place in our life. Thus, when Satan comes to deceive, we can hold fast to Jesus, who is always present in our life, and whose presence we are aware of. Should we find it difficult to look for Jesus in our life situations, we beg Him to answer us, in the name of His great love for us. After all, the Lord is our constant help.   

The good news is that Christ instituted the sacraments and the Church to be our constant reminder of Him and His goodness.

By becoming mindful of Jesus’ presence and goodness in our life, we can become an avenue of Jesus to our communities and families. We can be reminders to other people of God’s goodness, for in us they see not deceptions but truth about Jesus’ love for man.