From Mere Existence to New Life

The story is told of a man who dreamed that he saw Our Lord tied to a whipping post while a soldier scourged Him unmercifully. He saw the whip in the soldier ’s hand, its thick cords studded with pieces of lead which cut into the flesh with each blow. As the cruel whip came down on Jesus’ back, the horrified dreamer shuddered to see the bloody welts appear. Finally, the man could stand it no longer. As the soldier raised his arm and prepared to strike again, the dreamer rushed forward intending to grab the soldier from behind and restrain him. After which, the soldier turned around, and the dreamer recognized himself.

Have you ever wondered what kind of man Judas was? Have you ever wondered what he looked like, who his friends were, what his personality was like? He has been pictured, mostly as a wiry, beady-eyed, sinister-looking fellow — distant from the other Apostles — isolated. Did you ever wonder if the…