Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

"I’ve always been the one to say the first goodbye. Had to love and lost a hundred million times, had to get it wrong to know just what I like. Now, I’m falling. You know you can get whatever you want from me whenever. I’m afraid of all the things it could do to me if I would've known it. I would’ve stayed at home ‘cause I was doing better alone. But when you said, ‘Hello’ I knew that was the end of it all. I should’ve stayed at home ‘cause now there ain’t no letting you go. Am I falling in love with the one that could break my heart?"

As we study the Scripture passages at the very beginning of Jesus' passion and death, there are a number of people that a person interested in the spiritual life can study and learn from. One of them is the apostle Judas Iscariot. It is clear that Judas knew Jesus in an intimate way. He knew where Jesus liked to pray. He knew where Jesus and His apostles met for private conferences. Judas used that knowledge to set up the downfall of Jesus' human life. Judas had no doubt felt the love that Jesus had for him and it could have been a lasting love if he had pursued it.

Putting such a situation into the romantic love relationships of our modern life, and young lovers can easily identify the same feeling. At some point in the relationship as they move toward a permanent commitment, each person in love must decide and choose whether he/she will work for such a commitment.

Such is the case with the song "Break My Heart" by Dua Lipa. The lady in the relationship knows all the feelings that she had experienced so far in the relationship. Some of them were not so good, some of them were very good. She had said "goodbye" at times, but she still wanted to pursue the feelings that she had. So when she called her lover again, and they began to talk, things began to change. But she still did not know. Her closing question says it all: "Am I falling in love with the one that could break my heart?" If she does not have a better idea of the strength of their love, the answer could easily be "Yes, you are."

In any love relationship, whether it is romantic or not, we must decide whether it will lead to a permanent friendship, and in the case of romantic love, a permanent commitment with each other. The "deciding" is of course the difficult part. Usually, the decision will take some time to feel some good moments and bad moments. It is possible to determine whether our love will be lasting or not, but the decision will always have an element of "indecision." We simply must make the decision to go into the relationship and not look back.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, there are many decisions that we must make in our human situations, particularly with our interaction with others. Help us to understand the love that we must have to bring about a true lasting love. Be with us, we pray. 

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©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America