A Reflection for the Feasts of Sts. Simon and Jude
Find today’s readings here.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Lk 6:12-16)
Of all the ways for a friendship to end—drifting away from a high school companion after going away to college, a growing difference in common interests, etc.—perhaps the most heartbreaking is because of a betrayal.
The feeling of placing your complete trust in someone only to be completely deceived by them is devastating; it’s something that Jesus can relate to.
In today’s Gospel reading, we’re told of the formation of Jesus’ Apostles, his twelve closest friends and followers. Among these twelve, well before he would go on to do it, we learn that Judas Iscariot would betray Jesus by handing him over to the Roman authorities, leading to his death, for 30 pieces of silver.
When reflecting on Jesus’ ministry, so much of what makes it beautiful to me is that time and time again, he forgives. Whether it be the famous moment in which he forgives an adultress in front of the Pharisees and asks that “any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8:1-11) or his telling of a parable that urges listeners to forgive the sins of others “not seven times, but seventy-seven times (Matt 18:21-35).
However, as we learn, Jesus is unable to forgive the betrayal he feels from Judas, saying at the Last Supper “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. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” (Matt 26:24).
This exchange makes me wonder—was this deep betrayal by someone who he once considered a friend the worst pain that Jesus ever suffered?
While likely not on the same degree as being handed over to people who would kill us, we’ve all felt moments of betrayal in our lives; unlike Jesus, we often don’t see betrayals coming like he did. Jesus was a much better man than I am. If he was unable to forgive a betrayal he knew was happening for years, how am I supposed to forgive betrayals that blindside me?
If there is room for forgiveness, let us pray to St. Jude for the chance to mend what has been broken and make the impossible possible.
I was wrestling with this question when I realized that today’s Gospel reading also falls on the Feast Day of St. Jude, patron saint of impossible causes. Perhaps there is something to be said about this pairing: While Scripture shows that betrayal is something that even Jesus found difficult to forgive, let us pray to St. Jude to discern how we may do so.
In a simple yet effective statement in his Epistle, St. Jude writes, “On those who waver, have mercy.” (Jude 1:21). While dear friends may act unstably or uncharitably in our friendships to the point of the bond being seemingly impossible to fix, let us forgive those friends who falter.
Additionally, while he was unable to forgive Judas’ backstabbing, Jesus did forgive a friend who committed a more relatable betrayal when he absolved Peter of denying him three times. Judas may have been damned from the start, but rather than condemning Peter, Jesus reconciled with him and entrusted him to be the rock of his Church.
Therefore, while a betrayal from a friend may seem like a breaking point in the relationship, if there is room for forgiveness, let us pray to St. Jude for the chance to mend what has been broken and make the impossible possible.
