Friends, welcome to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.

Word on Fire is an apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization,

using media both old and new to share the faith on every continent

and to facilitate an encounter with Christ and His Church.

The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring the transformative power of God's

word where it is most needed.

Today, we invite you to join Bishop Robert Barron as he preaches the gospel and shares the

warmth and light of Christ with each one of us.

Peace be with you. Friends, we come now to Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday,

one of the great highlights of the liturgical year.

Passion Sunday because on every Palm Sunday we read in its, one of the passion narratives from the synoptic

gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And on Good Friday, we always read John's passion narrative.

Something I like to do, we're in the cycle A of readings this year, so we're reading Matthew's

version. I like to see now, what's distinctive to this one? There's a lot of overlap

between them, but each one has distinctive qualities. Well, what stood out to me as I looked at

this, Matthew out of all of them, puts a stress on Judas and more precisely on the deep regret that Judas felt over what he had done.

It doesn't entirely villainize Judas, but in a way enters into the deep remorse that Judas felt.

Let me give you no example. Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been

condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief

priest and elders saying, I've sinned in betraying innocent blood. Rather extraordinary, isn't it?

You know, we think Judas, the worst possible sinner, Judas, the worst person ever,

the one that betrayed the Lord. And it's not denied. He's called the betrayer here.

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