The Needy and the Greedy

St Peter compared to Judas... It’s all too common, but all too out of context.  Christians, clergy and laity alike, have adopted a tradition of comparing Peter and Judas, essentially, in this following theme, “Peter repented and Judas did not; and that is the example for us all!”  Although this is the common opinion, the reality of it could be nothing further from the truth...

All throughout the Gospels, we find Peter suffering from a perseverance in faith, hot-headiness, and worry.  With Judas, we find one that is nit-picking, complaining, greedy and even covertly hostile at times.  Many wonder why Jesus picked him as an Apostle if he was all the above mentioned, and would eventually turn on Christ altogether.  I think it was as an example for us all.  In a word, living a life in sin, or on the outskirts of sin, makes it very difficult for one to repent, especially towards the end.  St John Vianney relates the great rarity of such a case where one repents in the end of life in one of his homilies.  “Generally, one dies as one has lived.” He said.  All that said, we should foster a strong devotion to the Divine Mercy of Christ, especially at the hour of death.  "I do not wish the sinner to be lost, but that he should turn to me and live." says The LORD...  and we ask Our Blessed Mother for prayer too, as we ask her to pray for us, now and at the hour of our death...

Jesus eggs Judas on to repent right until the very end... Christ, as usual, implementing His hyperbolic, sometimes downright sarcastic, style in order to hopefully rouse Judas to some sense when He says “do what you have come here to do!" or another translation “what you are about to do, do quickly!”  Essentially, "cut to the chase, let’s get this over with!"  It was a feudal attempt to sort of throw it back in Judas’ face, not in a cruel way, but in a way of overwhelming his ego, that is, to prick his conscience with sorrow to some degree... and also the tongue-in-cheek part where Jesus is basically declaring that the upcoming treatment is nothing he is going to enjoy, and would sure like to move things along!  A pale comparison to that would be like one going into surgery, or going before a judge.

Archbishop Sheen (soon to be Blessed) related that Judas had remorse while Peter had sorrow.  There is a big difference between the two.  One was worried about what he was going to lose, the other about whom he hurt.  Peter allegedly wept so much and so often after his betrayal at the charcoal fire, the incredible flow from his tears wore furrows into his cheeks...

So to compare the gumption of Peter’s repentance after his authentic bout with sorrow to Judas’ lack thereof, is like comparing genuine leather to artificial leather or “pleather.”  One feels and smells real, the other just basically looks real.  I mean, just the sins alone are astronmically different, one was denial, the other a literal handing over and betryal of family - for a lousy jackpot!

Peter was distressed over his own lack of faith when he sunk in the waves at sea, while Judas was distressed over his Master “wasting” a costly alabaster jar owned by a repentant prostitute.  By the way, those jars collected tears from that person in sorrowful events in their lives, and to put a price on that too!?  Peter was distressed over Jesus leaving everyone behind on Calvary, and tried to interrupt his mission to perpetuate this incredible comfort of being around Christ.  Judas was notorious for snatching cash from the money satchel the Apostles owned.  We can be assured Judas was a passionate and talented man too, and was warm with the poor and anxious to fit in with the rich too possibly.  In a word, Peter was needy, Judas was greedy.     

Peter was concerned about what concerned Jesus.  Judas was concerned about how Christ and his Apostles fit in with the bigshots...  In fact, when Peter cut the ear off the high priest in defense of Christ, was it possible the anger was towards Judas, but Peter was too dumbfounded to strike at him?                                Sort of like it’s unheard of for a police officer to turn a fellow officer in, that is “on the take,” over to the authorities.  It seems like Peter was not only trying feudally to protect Jesus in a last-ditch, discombobulated effort, but was displaying his misdirected indignation that turned into wrath on the wrong person.  Like the policeman binding up the small-time criminal, but not that one fellow officer in cahoots with the head-cheese that small-timer criminal answers to...  

Lastly, in the words of the St Jude Novena (St Jude’s real name is actually Judas too, but it was changed to avoid confusion!) the name of the betrayer has caused you to be forgotten by many...  we ask the Holy Apostles Peter and Jude to pray for us all this Good Friday and throughout the Easter Season.  Perhaps I’ll start some devotion to St Jude myself this Easter... oh, and please don’t fall for those guilt-imposing, St Jude chain prayers!  St Jude would roll over in his grave at such superstitions!  Saints Peter and Jude, pray for us!