The Gospel for this day is taken
from Matthew 26: 14-25.
It was evening, Jesus sat at
table with the twelve disciples; and as they were eating, He said, “Truly, I
say to you, one of you will betray me.” All the disciples, except for one, said
to Him, “Is it I, Lord?” The betrayer revealed himself when he said to Jesus,
“Is it, Master?” Jesus was denounced by Judas as his Lord by just calling Him
master. This is truly an act of betrayal.
Today, we reflect on how we cause
others to leave the Church or how others tempt us to leave the Church. We also examine
ourselves how we love our Church and how we have hurt the Church.
We also pray today for those who
have left the Catholic Church. Most of them are lapsed Catholics. If we look at
their reasons why they leave the Church, they do not have any connection with
Catholicism itself. Some were abused (physically, psychologically or
emotionally) in a way they consider connected with Catholicism. Others married to
non-Catholics and went with their spouse. There are also those who get
attracted with the kind of worship non-Catholics do in their churches.
Non-Catholics told them that Catholicism is not right.
If we pray for Catholics who
leave the Church today, we have all the best reasons to pray for our Catechumens.
Catechumen is a person who has never been baptized and desire to become a
Catholic. The third oil, the oil of catechumens, which is blessed by the bishop
on Holy Thursday shall be used to anoint them during their baptism.
Although it is a Church’s custom to
cover all the crosses, statues, and pictures of our Lord and of the saints on
the altar and throughout the church on the Sunday preceding Passion Sunday, sacred
statues and pictures in the home may also be covered with a violet veil to elevate
our sense on the tragedy of betrayal or denouncing Jesus as our Lord. The use of violet veil may also help us produce
our sense of anticipation for Holy Triduum which will begin on the next day
(Holy Thursday).
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