Today’s Gospel is a reminder of the painful times that Jesus had to face sometimes with his friends whom he called disciples. He tried to give them a message of hope, of compassion, and some responded with mistrust; a need for more than just hope for a good future but also for a successful present. They want it all and they want it now.

This is not news. This is how it is in 2018. Some members of the believing community will betray Jesus for just about anything: the right to run a stop sign ‘cause there is no traffic around; the right to complain bitterly when someone gets into the express check out line who should not have; the right to spread gossip and rumors; the right to deny people respect because they are not male, or are not white, or are not straight, or are not rich, or are not English speaking; the right to deny decent health care to everybody unless they can afford it.

Jesus was sad that evening when he realized how weak his disciples still were after all those days they spent with him. We can say that that would never be us, but, truth be told, it often is in big and little ways every day.

So go ahead and judge Judas or Peter, but let’s pray for ourselves each and every day that we can grow more grace filled and more committed to the words of our God than ever before. We have the heart and the courage to try always to do the best we can. The world needs a lot more people like that, and we need a lot more holy weeks!