Even Jesus had a Judas

In the life of the Church we are often tempted to think that everything should be perfect, holy, pure and most importantly, the way we want it. While deep down we are always going to know that we can’t have everything exactly the way that we want it, we are still tempted to ask for it and still frustrated when we don’t get it. The reason I bring it up is the recent accusations against our Holy Father saying that he knew about the inappropriate conduct of other priests and bishops, and willfully did nothing. Since I haven’t had the chance to speak with the Pope personally about these accusations, I feel that it is my duty as a Catholic to assume his innocence until someone can prove him guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. Unfortunately I know that many of my Catholic brothers and sisters do not agree with me. For them the mere thought that the Pope participated in scandal, even though there is no real evidence, is enough to make them foam at the mouth and begin barking for his resignation. Sometimes we tend to forget that the Pope isn’t some elected official who is at the beck and call of his constituents. Rather he is the vicar of Christ himself and answers to God. However, the point remains that this is only one of many things that can dissolution many faithful and holy Catholics. Not just that the Pope could be accused of participating in covering up a scandal, but that a scandal could have occurred at all, and for some within their own parish and with their beloved priest. How do we deal with the fact that those who are our spiritual leaders sometimes let us down, and on occasion in very big and catastrophic ways? The answer is thus, Even Jesus had a Judas. Now I do not say this in an effort to in any way diminish the suffering of victims, but instead to help us remember and grow in holiness. The name of Judas Iscariot will forever be marked as one of the greatest traitors of all history. Sometimes I like to think that Jesus never wanted Judas as a disciple and that he was somehow tricked into it, but I know that isn’t true. You can’t trick Jesus. Rather he willingly chose him as one of the Twelve Apostles. When Judas betrayed him he not only betrayed his God, but also his friend and companion. He turned him over to the scribes and the Pharisees to be tortured and eventually crucified. What is it that makes us think that there are no more Judas’s in the world? We see them everyday in secular society. People who will stab their friends and clients in the back to make a quick profit, and we think nothing of it. It is normal and we pray for such people. Why do we assume that the Church is exempt? None of us are perfect, and some of us less so than others. What we have to avoid at all costs is the temptation to let Judas keep us from following Christ. We are not called to put our faith in men, but rather in Christ and his Church. Christ and his Church are perfect, not the men and women in it. This is why the Sacrament of Confession is so important. That being said, I encourage you all to pray for our Holy Father as he endures this time of trial and persecution. Long live Peter!