Monday in Holy Week

In preparation for next year, when, God willing, the whole congregation of St. Paul's will walk through the entirety of Holy Week togehter, I'm trying to very intentionally walk it this year.  My reflections this week will be based on the Daily Eucharistic Lectionary texts.  The title of each post links to the readings.

Upon my first reading of John's account of the Anointing of Jesus I chuckled at John's editorial notes about Judas Iscariot.

(the one who was about to betray hime)

Judas was upset at the waste he saw; thought it should be given to the poor.

(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)

I thought surely this was a late addition by an angry church, upset that Judas ruined everything.  But then I thought about it again.  Jesus had to have known Judas was a thief; being the Son of God and everything.  Yet he allowed Judas to continue to run with the other 11.  Even this notorious sinner, if we are to believe John, was allowed in, close in, to the mission and ministry of God himself.

I usually think that if I'm going to walk alongside of Jesus, I need to get cleaned up first.  Today, however, it seems different.  If Judas, with all of his chuztpah was allowed to tend the common purse because of the love Jesus had for him, how much more am I called to and allowed to do, even in my vast messiness.  Hopefully, my sins don't directly lead to the death of Jesus, but more than likely they do.  And still, Jesus invites me, and he invites you to walk right beside him.