JN 13:21-33, 36-38
In this solemn portion of the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples of His grim fate, though they do not fully understand it. He begins by indirectly calling out Judas, dipping a morsel from the Last Supper and handing it over to him. He tells Judas, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Judas seems to have reached a point of no return. In this moment, Satan has entered him, and he immediately leaves to carry out his plan. The other disciples do not realize that it is Judas who will betray the Lord. Jesus then proceeds to tell the remaining disciples how he will soon leave them. He tells them how they cannot go where he is going, though they will eventually. Peter insists that he would lay down his own life to follow the Lord, and Jesus responds by predicting Peter’s betrayal.
This Gospel speaks of the ways in which Jesus is betrayed, first by Judas, then by Peter. When we sin, we also betray Jesus and subsequently are faced with a choice. We can choose to continue down the path of sin and not look back, the way that Judas did. We can also choose to repent and to try once again to follow the Lord’s way, like Peter will later on in the Gospel. Lent is the time in which we are called especially to look back on our sins and to reconcile with Jesus. This is the season in which we must mend our relationships with God. We should use this Lenten season to reflect on His willingness to die for us, and respond to His call. This is the time to reach out to the Lord, and to accept and return His love as well as we possibly can.