Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren

 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

- Luke 22:31-38

Yesterday we read that when the hour had come for the Passover supper in the upper room, Jesus sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.  But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this this thing.  Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves.  But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."  Jesus addresses Simon Peter in the beginning of this statement.  But when He says Satan has asked for you, that "you" is plural, indicating all the disciples.  Jesus' statement to Peter, I have prayed for you, however, is singular, meaning that Jesus has prayed particularly for Simon Peter.  My study bible notes that because Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  Strengthen your brethren echoes Christ's words to Peter in John's Gospel, after the time referred to here in the prophecy of Peter's denial of Christ three times (see John 21:15-17).  Jesus will tell Peter, "Feed My lambs."  It is a reference not simply to the other disciples, but for all the faithful until Christ returns.

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."  Jesus' ominous words summon up the new time of persecution, beginning with the treatment of their Leader (see John 15:20-21).  He quotes from Isaiah 53:12, referring to the Suffering Servant of God.  My study bible comments that the sword is not to be understood literally (compare to verses 49-51), but refers to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).  St. Ambrose also is cited here, who adds an additional meaning.  He comments that to give up one's garment and buy a sword refers to surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  As the disciples are thinking of swords literally, Jesus immediately ends the discussion with the words, "It is enough," which is better translated, "Enough of this!" (see Deuteronomy 3:26; Mark 14:41). 

What are the effects of betrayal?  Somehow, like the act of temptation and betrayal of God's loving word in the Garden (Genesis 3), it opens up a kind of Pandora's box, unleashing all sorts of unwarranted and unforeseen evils and subsequent betrayals that accompany it.  One act opens up all the possibilities of the others, exposes vulnerabilities and other temptations, weaknesses, betrayals, and potential for harm.  The injustice in one circumstance opens up all the possibilities of the others.  One may think that is a bit simplistic, or overblown.  But if we take a good look at how life and circumstances unfold in our world, we may find that we can't underestimate the possible effects of a single act.  One considers abuse in childhood and what that can inflict, and conditions it may create for further harm to others in the future.  At the very least, such actions create obstacles for the child to overcome, lasting full well throughout adulthood.  It's no secret that the temptations such abuse opens up for the victim in his or her future life range from the self-destructive to that which causes grave harm to others.  Every new hurt opens up scars from the past and the accompanying need for understanding choice, self-control, and seeking the grace of God for all things.  That is one simple example, but we can consider Judas' act of betrayal and what it opens up for all of the apostles.  Our Lord is the Suffering Servant, the One who is sacrificed for all of us.  He endures more than physical suffering, pain, and death, but undergoes also the betrayal of all of those whom He loves, the people for whom He's been sent.  He will be spat upon and "numbered with the transgressors," treated to a horrific death by crucifixion like the worst criminals of the Roman Empire.  All of this forms a scandal, a stumbling block, that asks those of us whose faith is caught up in this story of our suffering Messiah to choose for Him, for His way through this world in which there are so many temptations for betrayal.  It is Christ to whom we turn for the way through it all, and the saints -- particularly His mother, Mary the God-bearer -- to whom we turn in the pain we, too, may experience through betrayal of one sort or another.  Let us consider what that word betrayal implies.  It's more than a specific act of one friend with another.  Rather, it applies to all conditions and circumstances in which trust is broken, and the love of God and God's teachings that may be involved in that trust.  A child trusts a parent to care for them, a spouse depends upon a marriage partner, a friend to a friend, and the faithful look to their Church and its members for faithful adherence to the love of God and God's teachings about how to live that love.  Betrayal will continue to come to us in all kinds of ways, and so does temptation.  Our job is not to exterminate temptations and betrayals from the world, for this task is impossible.  Rather, Christ shows us the way:  our task is faith and fidelity.  We look to our own loyalty and love of Christ, to the things He teaches us, to carry our own crosses as He's taught, and to do so with the one greatest weapon we have:  humility.  In this is the world saved, and not in endless efforts to eradicate all potentials for evil -- for by our own example and acts of love and faith we create potential for the good to spring up out of it, possibilities of the fruits of the Spirit with which we build up God's people and life in this world in potentials for good that supersede all those for evil.  In fact, the Cross itself teaches just that:  that the good may transfigure acts of harm and evil in this world, producing Resurrection and eternal life and all of life's possibilities even from the most heinous and monstrous of evil acts.  Let us consider, then, the power of the Cross and what it teaches us:  that life must spring forth through faith even out of evil circumstances we're given, and continue in that faith.  Christ and His saints know our suffering, for they've all been there before us.  Let us find their way to contribute to the love of the world.