Tag: judas iscariot

Spy Wednesday prayer for the Judas Iscariot among us & within us

40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Holy Wednesday, "Spy Wednesday", 27 March 2024
Isaiah 50:4-9   +   +   +   Matthew 26:14-25
Photo by author, dusk falls at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches, 20 March 2024.
Today is "spy Wednesday"
for it was on this night when
Judas Iscariot struck a deal
with your enemies, Lord Jesus
to betray you;
tonight is said to be 
the night of traitors,
of betrayers.

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

Matthew 26:14-16
Photo by author, dusk falls at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches, 20 March 2024.
Oh how we hate, O Lord Jesus
to be called a traitor,
a betrayer,
a Judas Iscariot!
And yet,
too often,
it is so true of us
whenever we sin,
not only when we turn away
from you but most of all, 
when we "hand you over" -
the literal meaning of betrayal -
when we pass you over
for somebody better,
for something useful
and convenient.
Forgive us, Lord Jesus,
for having the same
Judas Iscariot within us,
in collaborating with the
Judas Iscariot among us
when we repeatedly
hand you over like a thing
or a tool for our own selfish ends
as we say in Filipino,
"pinagpapasa-pasahan" 
repeatedly passed on 
like a thing in exchange
of what or whom
we find better,
convenient and useful;
most sad part in betrayal
dear Jesus,
is how we disregard
the trust we have
with each other
and from each other.
Same photo with preceding one this time with filters.
Help me imitate you,
Lord Jesus Christ
like the Suffering Servant
according to Isaiah in the
first reading by being the person
who breaks the cycle of violence
and betrayal;
like the psalmist today,
let "zeal for your house consume me"
Lord, that is,
be filled with your Holy Spirit
so that I may act
and respond to others
from my heart where you dwell
not from my pains and hurts,
nor from the many
betrayals inflicted on me
by others.
Amen.

Praying for EDSA ’86

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, 36th Anniversary of the EDSA People Power, 25 February 2022
James 5:9-12   ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'>   Mark 10:1-12
Photo by Roger Buendia/Presidential Museum and Library via esquiremag.ph.
Forgive me, Lord,
a veteran of EDSA 1986
for having lost these past
years the joy and fervor in
celebrating your miracle at
the world's first 
"People Power Revolution";
I really had no plans of praying today
so as not to remember the 
February Revolution of 1986
because I have always felt 
betrayed by our so-called
"EDSA heroes" who turned out
to be modern Judas Iscariots 
who have used us for
their personal interests and 
prostituted the People Power Revolution.
I have long felt within this pain, this anger,
frustration and disappointment at
how our supposed leaders 
have wasted the victory and 
most importantly, the lessons of 
EDSA '86; oh how my stomach 
burns in acid, making me belch
and throw up whenever I would 
see or remember those traitors, Lord!
Photo from en.wikipedia.org.
But, as I prayed today and see
our nation's precarious situation,
I felt ashamed, Jesus, at how I have
acted like Judas Iscariot,
not so much in betraying EDSA '86
in some ways too
but in losing hope in you,
the giver of that precious gift of
freedom and democracy
now under threat again from the
same people who enslaved us,
aided by these traitors.

Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged. Indeed, we call blessed those who have persevered… let your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No,” that you may not incur condemnation.

James 5:9, 11, 12b
Take our hearts so
hardened with bitterness,
frustrations and disappointments;
and yes, also of personal desires
not met after 1986 and give us
natural hearts that beat with
firm faith, fervent hope
and unceasing charity and love
for you and our Motherland.
EDSA is not just a clogged
highway of vehicles;
EDSA was first of all a sea
of humanity who have banded
together to stand for what is true,
for freedom and democracy
all meant to bring back each
person's dignity, created in your
image and likeness.
You are the God of history, Lord,
bring us back to the spirit
 and ideals of EDSA '86
 to claim again its grace
and promise of a matured nation
you have gathered and joined
together to become one
in Jesus your Son with his Blessed
Mother Mary who is our Mother too.
Amen.
From Pinterest.