By Michael Hichborn
A kiss—an expression of affection, greeting, respect, or love by use of the lips. Judas the Apostle sealed his betrayal of our Blessed Lord with a kiss for a mere 30 pieces of silver. But his betrayal was not done in anger. He did not publicly blaspheme the Lord or denounce His teachings. He didn’t even deny Him as Peter had. In fact, it might be said that he persisted in his faith in the Lord when he confessed to Annas and Caiaphas that he had “betrayed innocent blood.” But instead of repenting of his sin, and publicly proclaiming Christ’s innocence, he took a rope, tied it around a tree, and hanged himself.
Two thousand years later, we see a similar story unfold as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi prepares to receive an award from Planned Parenthood, specifically for her work in preventing any restrictions on abortion from being included in the health reform bill (now law). In other words, she betrayed innocent blood and, in return, received a trinket from those who orchestrated, and had the most to profit from, this betrayal.
Rather than renouncing the Catholic faith, since she so clearly disbelieves its core teachings on human life, Pelosi insists on pointing out to the public that she is a Catholic. In fact, according to a January article from LifeSiteNews.com, this “ardent, practicing Catholic” has professed:
“I am a practicing Catholic, although they’re probably not too happy about that. But it is my faith,” said the Speaker. “I practically mourn this difference of opinion because I feel what I was raised to believe is consistent with what I profess, and that is that we are all endowed with a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And that women should have that opportunity to exercise their free will.”
The word used by both Matthew and Mark to describe Judas’ kiss is the Greek verb kataphilein, which means to kiss intensely. In other words, Judas smothered Jesus with kisses, as if to make some public show of affection for God.
And so it is with Nancy Pelosi. She, too, is smothering our Blessed Lord with kisses in an apparent attempt to compensate for her own denial of Catholic teaching on abortion. Judas denied the divinity of Christ, calling him “teacher,” “rabbi,” and “master.” Pelosi is denying the humanity of preborn children by reducing their worth to a woman’s “choice.”
The defection of Judas is first recorded in John 6:64 and 67-71. Immediately after explaining the Eucharist, Jesus asked the twelve if they would leave, as many others had done. They all remained, and Peter spoke for them saying, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Jesus responded by saying, “Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?” He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, for it was he who would betray Him.
As with Judas, Nancy Pelosi has never publicly denied Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist. Yet even in the face of open rebellion against the Church’s teachings on abortion, birth control, and homosexual acts, she faithfully presents herself for Communion every Sunday. According to Pelosi, “…communion has not been withheld and I’m a regular communicant so that would be a severe blow to me if that were the case.”
Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law states that “Those … obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.” The purpose for this Canon is three-fold. It defends the Holy Eucharist from desecration, it protects individuals from heaping condemnation upon themselves, and it defends the faithful from scandal.
And now, Nancy is preparing to receive her 30 pieces of silver in the form of an award from Planned Parenthood.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed fervently while his apostles slept. But at least when it became clear that Jesus had been betrayed, they zealously fought in His defense. Today, while Pelosi betrays the Church, scandalizes the flock, and smothers the face of Christ with kisses, there is no zealous defense.
Unfortunately, no bishop with proper authority over Nancy Pelosi has shown her the true charity due her by preventing her from committing further sacrilege. Archbishop Niederauer, who is her bishop in San Francisco, has refused to deny her Holy Communion, as has Archbishop Wuerl, of Washington, D.C.
So, the betrayal is complete. Pelosi sells millions of preborn babies to Planned Parenthood for a worthless award while the bishops sleep, just as Judas sold our Blessed Lord to the Sanhedrin for a worthless amount of silver while the Apostles slept. And just as Judas blistered his lips upon the cheek of the Son of Man, each Sunday Pelosi will kneel at the foot of the Cross, recite the prayers of the Mass and then blister her tongue with the Body of Christ.
Michael Hichborn is the director for American Life League’s project Defend the Faith and host of the ALL Report (www.all.org/youtube).