April 7th, Tuesday of Holy Week

Isaiah 49: 1-6, Psalm 71: 1-2, 3-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15 and 17, John 13: 21-33, 36-38

Recently, at our dinner table the subject of baby names came up. My sister in-law is having her first child and we were going around the table, each suggesting a name. When it was my turn I said, “If the baby is a boy, she should name him Judas.” The response from my kids was unanimous. “Dad, she can’t name him Judas. Judas betrayed Jesus.”

They were right, Judas did betray Jesus and it ultimately lead to His crucifixion, but didn’t Peter also betray Jesus by denying him three times? Yet, Peter is a common name today.

This made me think of the times when I have betrayed God. Some of those betrayals had bad outcomes and affected other people’s lives. Some of the betrayals went no farther than a thought in my mind. When it comes time to ask for God’s forgiveness, do I pick and chose which sins I ask forgiveness for? God will not pick which sins he will forgive. He will forgive all my sins only if I ask. Can I do that? Can I forgive people who have betrayed me, or do I pick and choose whom I want to forgive?

In the readings, it is easy to see only what Judas did, but the readings also talk about how God lives through us and how we should tell people about God. So, wouldn’t forgiving others, as God forgives us, be a wonderful way of doing this?

There was an article in the paper not too long ago about a terrible car crash. A drunk driver ran a stop sign and hit another car killing the driver of that car. The man who was killed was a father of three young children. The article went on to say that the wife of the man killed had publicly forgiven the drunk driver. After reading this story, I did not wonder what race this woman was or what city she lived in. What came to my mind was that this woman had a strong faith in God and that God is living through her.

Jack Grott, husband to Kelly, with four daughters Elaina, Meghan, Hannah, and Abby