Betrayal is not the end of our story, for as we look up from our self-interest and self-possession we see Jesus who still calls us "friend," and loves us more than we have ever been loved by anyone.

I was 10 when I lost my grip on God. When I was 18 and moved away to college, I put God in a box and buried him under a mountain, in a quarry, in a labyrinth, on Jupiter. I'd be my own God. Which worked, until Ted introduced me to Maureen.

The story of Judas exposes the intricacies of betrayal that we would rather ignore or to which we rarely admit. Judas reminds us that sometimes the origin of our hurt lies deep within ourselves.

My faith was formed that evening, not by the bitter betrayals, but in the love of the women. I think about that night each Lent, as we walk toward that treacherous path with Jesus.

There are only two basic things known about Judas: Jesus chose him as one of the twelve apostles, and he handed Jesus over to the Jewish authorities.