Father Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Tuesday of Holy Week

April 15, 2025,  John 13: 21-33,36-38  
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041525.cfm

So Many Chances.

The nightly local news often reports a crime committed, and they say, “At this time, we have no suspects. However, please contact the local police or sheriff’s department if you have any information.”

Sometimes, someone has something that seems insignificant but can lead to the arrest of a suspect. Many people are surprised that the suspect is someone they know and would never dream they could commit any crime. 

When Jesus announced at the Last Supper that someone would betray Him, they all asked, “Is it I, Lord?” Notice that the 11 disciples referred to Jesus as “Lord.” Notice that the 11 disciples referred to Jesus as “Lord.”

Judas asked, “Is it I, Rabbi?” Jesus was not Judas’s Lord. Judas was his own lord, and he only sought to please himself. None of the disciples caught on to the fact that Judas was the betrayer.  

I love the line of Jesus, “The one who is trustworthy in small matters is trustworthy in greater matters.” Over time, Judas took money from the common purse, and no one knew it. He probably took small amounts, and over time, he took more significant quantities more often. The weight of his actions grew with each coin he pocketed.

His heart drew farther away from Jesus each time his hand was in that purse. He justified his sin to suit himself. He hid it so well that no one suspected him of being a thief or a betrayer. 

How good is the Lord for giving us many opportunities to please Him more than ourselves? Judas had several opportunities to please Jesus at the Last Supper, and all would be forgiven. “He who is not trustworthy in small matters will not be trustworthy in greater ones.” The Lord’s forgiveness is always within reach.  

Gospel Challenge:  

 Like we have seen with the Scribes, Pharisees, and now Judas, Jesus never gives up on us. So pray, my friends, morning, noon, and night, “Jesus, all I want to do is please You.”

Love Your Neighbor

Fr. Rick Pilger, IC  
www.bscchurch.com