HOLY Wednesday, or “Miyerkules Santo” as it is locally called, marks the day Judas Iscariot conspired to betray Jesus Christ.
In John 12:3, Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume while he was at the table with his disciples. Some of the disciples questioned why the perfume was not sold to help the poor, but Judas Iscariot objected because he wanted the money for himself. After this, Judas went to the Sanhedrin and offered to betray Jesus in exchange for money and began looking for the right time to do so.
In Matthew 26:14-16, Judas agreed to hand Jesus over to the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver. During the Passover preparations, Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him. When Judas asked if it was him, Jesus replied, “You have said so.” In his homily at the Manila Cathedral, Fr. Rolly dela Cruz highlighted how Jesus, instead of expressing pain or anger, saw the goodness in Judas' betrayal.
“Jesus is teaching us today to look at it from a positive viewpoint,” dela Cruz said.
Dela Cruz emphasized Jesus' surprising response. "When Judas left to go to the priests, Jesus said, 'Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him." As Filipino Catholics begin traveling home for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday — which are local holidays — Holy Wednesday reminds the faithful that, despite rising prices and conflict in the Middle East, Jesus’ perspective teaches them to find something positive even in difficult times, dela Cruz said.
"Many things, bad things, will happen — things that we do not want, things that we do not like. But Jesus is telling us today, look at the positive side,” he said.
He urged the faithful to adopt this mindset in their own lives, drawing inspiration from Jesus' ability to see glorification in the betrayal and denial by those closest to Him, dela Cruz said, encouraging Filipino Catholics to find hope and meaning in their own struggles.
