![]() ![]() It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Can you believe what Judas did after Jesus said this? He seems to have let this little fact go right over his head, and he betrayed Christ anyway. “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. Jesus recognized both his destiny, and Judas’ free will in today’s gospel. That doesn’t mean we do not have free will though. God writes the truth perfectly throughout the ages, even with crooked or imperfect instruments. How much more accurate could the description be, of how Jesus allowed himself to be arrested, abused and mistreated? And yet, the prophet Isaiah wrote these words over seven hundred years before they actually happened. His destiny was foretold by the prophets, and most especially through the prophet Isaiah, which so clearly depicts Jesus’s suffering in today’s first reading for mass. This is the place that evil is converted into good, through the workings of God’s grace. The decision on whether this actually happens or not lies within our own heart. This is most especially true of Christ’s life, but it is also true in ours as well. God can turn the worst evil or suffering that we have ever endured, and turn it into a greater good, if we allow Him to do so. God can turn the greatest evil in our lives, into a much greater good. Things are not what they seem to be on the surface of things. ![]() We need to remember this in the days ahead, but to also think about how this applies in our own lives and in the world we live in. Evil exists because God permits it, for His own reasons, which are far more reaching than ours. There is nothing in all of creation that does not serve Him, according to it’s nature. All things serve God, both the good and the bad, in their own way. He knows our nature and takes that into account. God wrote the truth perfectly, even with crooked or imperfect instruments, throughout the ages. Non-believers will often pick out inconsistencies or inaccuracies in different verses in the bible in order to try and prove that if one fact isn’t accurate, the whole bible isn’t true. Differences, or even slight inaccuracies do not necessarily negate the truth in the bible though, because human beings are not perfect people. That’s why the police or a court of law will call several witnesses and hear their different stories, in order to determine the truth. Human beings can witness the same events that take place and remember different things from one another. If the stories were too much alike, it would be a dead give away they were not genuine. This is one of the reasons that the gospels give valid testimony to the truth of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ though. These two accounts of Judas’ betrayal are very similar but with slight differences. If the gospel reading for mass today sounds familiar, it is because we had the same reading for mass yesterday, except that it was from the gospel of John. ![]()
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