Wednesday of Holy Week

“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?”

We all betray God in one way or another during our lives. Sometimes we betray him through venial sins that cause us to stumble along the path toward heaven, but do not sever our ties to God. Other times we commit mortal sins and turn our backs on God and greatly harm our relationship with Him. No matter the sin we commit it is a betrayal to one degree or another. This is why it is so important to cultivate good habits that keep us from falling into vices. We also should avoid those things that lead us into temptation. We should try to visualize ourselves overcoming our temptations and making the right choice so that when we are faced with the choice, we will have trained our hearts and minds to choose the good over the evil. If we do sin, then we should seek to understand why we have sinned and do everything in our power to overcome the temptation next time. This includes going to reconciliation, confessing our sins, making a faithful act of contrition, doing penance, and firmly committing ourselves to sinning no more. We might not succeed in the latter, but it should be the ultimate goal of our lives because in the end we want to be faithful servants of God and not His betrayers.

In what ways have we betrayed God? What can we do to overcome and make amends for our sins? Do we make frequent use of the sacrament of reconciliation and its graces?

O Lord, help us to confess our sins with humble hearts and seek never to betray you again.

Amen.