Monday, April 6, 2009

St. Bonaventure - Meditation on Jesus Betrayal

"Lord Jesus, when I meditate on Your Passion, the first thing that strikes me is the deceitfulness of the traitor. He was so full of the venom of bad faith that he actually betrayed You – You, his Master and Lord. He was inflamed with such greed that he sold his God for money, and in exchange for a few vile coins delivered up Your precious Blood. His ingratitude went so far that he persecuted even to death, Him who had raised him to the height of the apostolate…. O Jesus, how great was Your goodness toward this hard-hearted disciple! Although his wickedness was so great, I am much more impressed by Your gentleness and meekness, O Lamb of God! You have given me this meekness as a model. O Lord, the man whom You allowed to share Your most special confidences, the man who seemed to be so united to You, Your Apostle, Your friend, the man who ate Your bread, and who, at the Last Supper, tasted with You the sweet cup, and this man committed this monstrous crime against You, his Master! But in spite of all this, at the time of betrayal, You, O meek Lamb, did not refuse the kiss of that mouth so full of malice. You gave him everything, even as You gave to the other Apostles in order not to deprive him of anything that might melt the hardness of his evil heart."

St. Bonaventure

1 comment:

  1. Jesus gave so freely to the one who would betray him unto death and at times I can barely offer a prayer for a person who cuts me off on the highway.

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