Gospel according to Saint John 13:31-33a.34-35:

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

When Judas left the upper room…

Luis CASASUS President of the Idente Missionaries

Rome, May 18, 2025 | V Sunday of Easter

Acts 14: 21b-27; Ap 21: 1-5a; Jn 13: 31-33a.34-35

The way we love, or express love, is often inadequate and insufficient, with ambiguous and sometimes poorly concealed motives and intentions. The following story may serve as an illustrative example.

Once upon a time, there was a young man whose fiancée broke off their engagement and broke his tender heart. After some time apart, he received a letter of apology and a desire for reconciliation.

It read as follows:

Dear Jorge: There are no words to express the great sadness I have felt since I broke off our engagement. Please say you will take me back. No one can ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you; I love you; I love you! Yours forever, Maria.

P.S.: Congratulations on winning the first prize in the national lottery!

As proof that human beings are capable of both the worst and the best, here is a true story, without any irony or grotesque humor:

William Gladstone, a member of the British Parliament in the 19th century, announced the death of Princess Alice to the House of Commons. Along with the announcement, he told this story. The princess’s little daughter was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her daughter because it would endanger her own life by breathing in the child’s breath.

Once, when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, completely forgetting herself, took her in her arms to prevent her from suffocating. Gasping and fighting for her life, the child said, Mommy, kiss me! Thinking only of her dying daughter and not of herself, the mother tenderly kissed her daughter. In doing so, she contracted diphtheria and, shortly after her little daughter, Princess Alicia died.

True love forgets itself and does not count the cost. The Song of Songs says: The oceans cannot quench love, nor can floods drown it. Christ gives us the commandment of love, specifying that we must love as He did and does today. This Sunday’s Gospel text contrasts Judas’ apparent love—which undoubtedly put his life at risk—with Jesus’ way of loving. Judas’ kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane was the opposite of Princess Alice’s kiss, with which she gave her own life.

But even before that, when Judas left the Upper Room, his tragedy had already begun.

—ooOoo—

A quick reading of the story of Judas Iscariot may lead us to believe that his greed led him to steal from the disciples’ common fund and that the devil then tempted him to earn a larger sum, 30 pieces of silver, which was the price of a slave (Ex 21:32).

But the true diagnosis is made by Christ when he announces the Beatitudes: The pure in heart will see God. It does not matter that Judas was among the privileged few chosen by Jesus to accompany him, nor that he was a witness to his example, his miracles, and his teachings. There is a form of impurity in the heart that clouds our spiritual vision and nullifies the value of the teachings we have received.

The heart can only see what it loves. To those who are pure in heart, the full glory of the divine nature is revealed, and that vision is a blessing, because seeing God satisfies the longings of the heart. Then, restlessness vanishes. The anxiety and distractions of those who seek peace at any price cease.

Having a pure heart is not the absence of sinful affections, but the continuous presence of a holy and undivided love, capable of presiding over all affections for people or things in the world. The soul is such a supreme altar that it must worship something in its most intimate sanctuary, and unless it worships God there, it cannot be pure.

Leaving aside the analysis that theologians have repeated so often about Judas’ motives for carrying out his betrayal (disappointment at seeing that Christ was not the messianic leader they had hoped to see; a tendency toward greed increased by temptation, etc.), we are interested in understanding that something similar happens to us, although it does not lead to consequences as spectacular as Judas’ betrayal.

The heart ceases to be pure when we allow even the smallest idea or desire that is incompatible with the kingdom of heaven to take root in us. This is delicate, because that idea or desire may be morally neutral or insignificant, but what experience led St. Paul to say invariably comes true: Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? (1 Cor 5:6).

For example, if someone begins to justify small lies in their daily life, over time this can become a broader pattern of behavior, affecting their integrity and relationships. What begins as a seemingly insignificant action can end up shaping a person’s character and perception of honesty. This is equivalent to Judas’ theft from the common fund, so that no one suspected his corruption.

Often, out of fear, emotional wounds, or disappointment, our hearts harden. In this unique life we have been given, where spirit and soul coexist, where instincts struggle to enter a territory that does not belong to them, what some authors have called cherished sins occur.

Every cherished sin weakens the character and strengthens a certain habit; and the result is mental and moral degradation. I may repent of the evil I have done, and set myself in right paths; but the consent of my mind and my familiarity with evil will make it difficult for me to distinguish between right and wrong. That damaged sensitivity eventually led Judas to believe that forgiveness was impossible.

The worst consequence is not something that happens directly to the one who cherishes sin: his sensitivity toward his neighbor gradually fades, so that he does not realize the harm he is doing, what his brother needs.

Neuropsychology has drawn parallels between cherished sin and addiction, especially in cases where sinful behaviors become compulsive and difficult to control. But in the spiritual life, as we see in the story of Judas, there is an additional factor, which is diabolical intervention, which is usually nothing spectacular.

Through the bad habits I have formed, the devil will not miss the opportunity to “suggest” to our instincts to take one step further: to taste a fruit that was “unjustly” forbidden, to turn stones into bread, or to seek a messiah who will ensure power against rivals.

In the case of Judas Iscariot, the Gospel says that Satan entered into him (John 13:27), which went unnoticed by the other disciples. The devil’s work is to gently promote an inclination of our soul in a direction different from that suggested by the Holy Spirit. The results do not have to be dramatic at first glance, such as abandoning a religious vocation or infidelity in marriage… but, whether these are more or less visible, the result is always frustration, the loss of a full, joyful life capable of bringing peace to others in the midst of any difficulty or tragedy, however painful it may be.

No matter how great and shameful my sin may be, even if I have hidden it for a long time or believe that it will dominate me until the end of my life, divine mercy is stronger than those ideas and feelings. Peter also shamefully denies Jesus, but he finds forgiveness. Judas does not. Judas not only betrayed Jesus, he also lost faith in forgiveness.

After seeing that Jesus was condemned, Judas felt deep remorse and tried to return the money to the priests. When he was rejected, he ended up taking his own life, which shows the magnitude of his remorse.

But even at the moment of betrayal, Jesus called him “friend” (Mt 26:50), showing that the door of grace was still open. Let us note that there are never any words of direct condemnation toward him from Jesus. Moreover, eating from the same plate was a sign of honor and trust. If Judas had cried out for mercy, he would undoubtedly have been forgiven. The Master does not denounce him openly in front of the other disciples, which suggests a final silent offer of love.

Remorse and recognition of one’s fault are not enough. If we do not turn to Christ to embrace his word, his counsel, his ever-new forgiveness, we commit a kind of suicide of our spiritual life, of our relationship with the divine Persons, who are the only source of life.

—ooOoo—

If our capacity to sin is great, Jesus’ commandment goes beyond, deeper than any temptation or weakness: Love one another as I have loved you. The model is His person. It does not matter whether someone “deserves to be loved or not”; it is not a matter of following rules in order to love, but only of imitating Him. One of the most accurate and practical descriptions of this way of loving is found in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans (Chapter 12), which is full of practical and proactive suggestions:

«» Love one another from the heart as brothers and sisters

«» Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

«» If you are going to work hard, don’t be lazy; keep yourselves spiritually fervent and ready for the Lord’s service.

«» Live joyfully in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

«» Share your goods with the brothers and sisters in need; practice hospitality.

«» Bless those who persecute you, and never curse them.

«» Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

«» Live in harmony with one another.

«» Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with those who are unimportant.

«» Do not be conceited.

«» Do not repay anyone evil for evil.

«»Be eager to do good to everyone.