Jesus' Composure

“He is near who upholds my right….See, the Lord God is my help; who will prove me wrong?” we read in today’s first reading, Isaiah 50: 4-9a.  In the Gospel, Mt. 26: 14-25, Jesus says very calmly “one of you will betray me.”  The apostles then break into a frenzy, asking who it is and, Judas, the betrayer, attempts to cover up his sinful intentions by saying “Surely, it is not I, Rabbi?”  The others simply ask: “Is it I, Lord?” Judas adds emphasis: Surely!    All of us know when we have sinned. We know when our behaviors are dishonest, when we are covering up what is really real!  That is why Judas added the emphasis. 

Jesus, knowing that His Father was near, upholding His right, remains calm and proceeds with the Last Supper meal, offering the disciples bread to eat and wine to drink, telling them: “This is my body, given for you….This cup is the new covenant in my blood poured out for you” (Luke 22: 19-20).  What love! What compassion. What composure as He willingly accepts his upcoming death for the sake of our salvation.

How composed am I when I am faced with a situation that is anything but kind, when another turns against me, lashing out at me, throwing a “grenade” of uncontrollable anger at me, when another sins against me, as Judas sinned against Jesus? Can I, like Jesus, let the other person’s actions be that person’s accuser or do I rely upon my own weaknesses and  become retaliatory?  Can I allow the person’s conscience to be his/her judge and not be condemnatory? Jesus does.