Let us not talk about Judas, let us talk about ourselves. Do we not recognize these qualities in our own life? Do we not subject ourselves to the power of money, of merchandise; do we not subject ourselves to the law of the marketplace?
Judas obviously had, in addition, a very great awareness of the fluctuations of power. In the beginning he was doubtless moved by religious enthusiasm, but also by a sensitivity to the current state of affairs at a given moment. He sensed that the page had been turned, that the mood had changed, and he knew how to change sides at the crucial moment. This Judas is neither a master of evil nor the figure of a demoniacal power of darkness but rather a sycophant who bows down before the anonymous power of changing moods and current fashion. But it is precisely this anonymous power that crucified Jesus, for it was anonymous voices that cried, ‘Away with Him! Crucify him!’
From Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year
(unpublished homily, March 22, 1978)Today is also the typical day for a Tenebrae service. "Tenebrae" meaning shadows, the service commemorates in readings and song the death and burial of the Light. The mournful Lamentations from Jeremiah --Christ's weeping over his people-- are sung, and the lights of the Church gradually extinguished, followed by the strepitus or loud noise simulating the earthquake at Christ's passing. Here are clips from the service at the Dominican House of Studies last year.
