Dear Friends,
We pray you are safe and well.
Tradition refers to this day as "Spy Wednesday," the day when Judas proceeded to betray Jesus by helping to orchestrate his ambush and arrest: "Surely, it is not I , Lord?"
One commentator reflecting on the musical "Jesus Christ, Superstar" says "what has made that musical profound is the way it draws us into the perspective of Judas, his tragic struggle, his limited but passionate views, his practical worldliness. I cry when I watch it, because I get where he is coming from." (Daniella Zsupan-Jerome)
We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in healthcare, in the workplace, in the Church--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.
In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that in God’s economy of abundance, when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.
We hope and pray that you and your loved ones experience genuine peace of mind and heart, and remain in good health during this challenging time.
In this time of Lenten Pilgrimage may you find peace, healing, hope, and the infusion of joy in your life!
With our love and care,
Ron & Jean
MEDITATION 318: Spy Wednesday: "The Morsel and the Crow" by Deacon Jay Cormier: Conversion from the Judas and Peter in us. Deacon Jay Cormier reflects on the morsel Jesus dips and gives to Judas and the prediction Jesus makes to Peter: before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.
The Morsel and the Crow
While we are appalled and ashamed at what Judas is about to do in today’s Gospel, most of us have a few pieces of silver jingling in our pockets. At awkward moments, we suddenly find our hand in the dish:
Someone asks for a moment of our time, time that we don’t have.
We elbow our way to the front of the line while needier and more deserving folks fall farther back.
A situation pleads for our patience but provokes anger instead.
And, before we know it, we sense Jesus handing us a morsel from the Cenacle table.
Before we judge Peter too harshly, we remember the sound of the rooster crowing when our silence, avoidance, rationalizing, and posturing betrayed someone. We hear the rooster’s crow:
The hurt we see on another’s face when we fail to deliver on our well-intentioned promises.
The realization that our good fortune came at the expense of someone else.
The moment we regret our earlier silence, having been too afraid to speak up for someone being falsely maligned, too intimidated to offer a word of support for someone being unfairly ridiculed.
And we hear “the cock crow”: that voice within us calling us out for our insensitivity and selfishness, that inner light fixing like a laser on our failings and mistakes.
When we disconnect the values of the Gospel from the reality of our lives, we betray Jesus no less than do Peter and Judas.
Deacon Jay Cormier
Jay Cormier, a deacon serving in the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, is author of The Deacon’s Ministry of the Word and editor and publisher of Connections.