By Olivia Obijiaku
The Associate Parish Priest of St. John’s Parish, Muchia Zaria, Rev. Fr. Michael Fidelis Abrak celebrated the Mass of Wednesday April 16, 2025 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, where he cautioned against greed, citing Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus, his Master.
Explaining that the day, Holy Wednesday is also called a Spy Wednesday, because it is a day that Judas betrayed Jesus, the priest who reflected on ‘The Enemy from within Not Without’, maintained that no battle is won without a man inside the house, as proven by the cases of Jesus and Judas; Julius Caesar and Brutus, and notable others.
He noted that though eating from the same plate is a sign of unity, love and strong bond in African culture, Judas sought to betray Jesus, despite His goodwill and kind gesture.
Fr. Abrak continued, “Judas betrayed Him because of the temptation of greed. Greedy people sell their consciences and souls for material gains. Greed made Judas to betray an innocent blood and changed from being a friend of Jesus and a bishop into a traitor. The equivalent of thirty pieces of silver in Nigerian currency now is fifty naira. It is also the equivalent compensation given to the family of a slave (Ex. 21:32). By selling Jesus, he also sold his soul, because Jesus said, ‘woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed.”
He prayed that God may give them the grace not to betray the Master and one another by their sins but stand to for what is right.
