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| Two men, two lives, two reputations
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Went to Mass today and as anyone that is Christian knws, today is Palm Sunday.
And in the Catholic tradition they read the Passion of Christ
I was reminded today of a set of sermons that a priest I knew gave about the two men in that story that fail, and fail bad, and how one simple act makes the difference.
One man has a moment of greed. We all have greed.
This man sells out his friend for money. I have always thought Judus really had no idea what would happen when he did this. I have always had this thought that he figured that he would hand Jesus over, get him arrested, he would face a trail, be beaten maybe and then released. Maybe they would put Jesus in prison. He never saw that this would lead to what it did. But it is just another example of that people do things not knowing how it will all turn out.
When he sees that he screwed up, that for 30 pieces of silver he gave up a friend he trusted he tries to make it right, but he can't.
So he runs away and cries.
Then we have Peter.
Read the Bible and whenever Jesus takes a small group anywhere, Peter is there. Peter is a close friend of Jesus, as close as maybe any man ever got. He saw him at his best and at his worst.
So of course he pledges that if anything happens he will be right by his friend's side. And he most likely was deeply hurt when he hears that that is all well and good and nice to say, but his friend knows that when the chips are down and it is time to stand up and be counted, Peter will buckle.
And as we all know he does, three times.
He buckles under the pressure.
And when he remembers that his friend knew he would he runs away and cries.
But wait, there are schools, hospitals churches named after Peter. He is respected and seen as a great man. But failed, right?
So we have all this stuff named after a failure? And if so why no similar stuff named after Judas? He really did nothing that realkly changed the story did he? I mean as Jesus points out, he was out and about, everyone knew who is he was, they all knew where he was and who he was and so how hard would it have been to pick him up one day just walking the street? Did they really need someone to point him out? Probably not
So why is Peter a hero and Judas a traitor and hated?
On word: Despair
Peter walked away and cried, then decided that he needed to try to move on and do something with his life. Maybe he decided to carry on what Jesus had taught that night. Maybe he decided to just go back and fish again and see this all as a learning experience for while it lasted. He hung out with this man that did and said great things. This man made people happy. He made people reevaluate their lives. But in the end this man was killed for what he believed in as many great men were. Maybe he decided many things that night, but faced with a great crisis of faith where everything he had known and believed in was gone he saw what he did as a stumble on the road. A stumble that he would learn from. Because he took that mindset he was proven more than correct, because he was made to see that all he trusted in was real, his hopes, dreams, they were all true and he never should have questioned it. And maybe in some small way he was shown that his betrayal of Jesus was what was supposed to happen for all the rest to happen. If he had stood up and said he was one of Jesus' men maybe they would have killed him too. And then one of the great men of the church is not where he should be when he is needed.
Judas decided that he had no option, so he gave up and killed himself. He despaired. He let the dark night of the soul take over.
And so the last act of his life is that, an act of despair.
Would the 11 other's taken him back as a brother given what he did? Maybe, who knows. But he gave up so we will never know.
And maybe that is one of the more hidden lessons of that whole story. We all know the big picture, that the Son of God died for our sins when with one word he could have come down off that cross and saved himself and made everyone in the crowd believe.
But maybe we miss the small picture. The one that is about never giving in to despair. I know I have been tempted to despair many times, and I am never going to be Peter, but I also am never going to be Judas I hope.
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Posted by whiteknight on 2008-03-16 12:46:54 | Rating: | Views: 96
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wow another Catholic, i grew up in the church, gonna go to mass tonite, take my boys,,peace
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Posted by bjm1
on 2008-03-16 13:09:58
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i listen to your story and have seen all the movies and own the majority of them. i am catholic and have read a lot. i always wonder where the rest of the apostles were on that day. you know where peter was, denying christ. you know where judas was, regretting what he did and then hanging himself. there is always a young apostle with mary and mary magdallen (spelling not right)and i am never knew who it represented. but where were the other 9? scattered among the crowd? hiding? mingling? curious i supose!
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Posted by lastblastkl
on 2008-03-17 11:00:35
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We needed Judas to fulfil the prophecy. No Judas, no redemption for humanity. The transfiguration of Jesus from a purely physical being needed the finality of death. The true metaphysical transformation,risen from the dead,ascended into heaven. Man AND God, is what gives us humans our spiritual place in the creation. In other words it gave us our ticket into Heaven, whatever you percieve that to be, I believe it is oneness with God.
Yes, Catholic school, and a lot more years after that. A period of questioning, mandatory I think, and a total acceptance from a scientific angle.
No religious arguments please, this is my opinion.( read about opinions elsewhere) you are welcome to yours.
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Posted by circe
on 2008-03-17 22:01:07
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