On Spy Wednesday we remember Judas’ decision to be "snooper sneaky" and betray Christ to his enemies in the Sanhedrin for 30 pieces of silver. Because of this day's covert, secretive character it is a fantastic day for liturgical living in order to draw children - especially boys - more fully into the understanding of the Passion narratives.
In our home this means a Scavenger Hunt for Holy Week books and 30 silver coins followed by a discussion on earthy treasures verses those stored up in heaven and the two sides of the coin of our free will as illustrated by the disciples Judas and Peter.
The event of Judas' betrayal, and even the number of coins, was long foretold in the Old Testament by St. David in the Psalms and the Prophet Zachariah. St. David describes Christ's treatment in Psalm 108 saying:
O God, be not thou silent in my praise: for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful man is opened against me. They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues; and they have compassed me about with words of hatred; and have fought against me without cause. Instead of making me a return of love, they detracted me: but I gave myself to prayer. And they repaid me evil for good: and hatred for my love. Set thou the sinner over him: and may the devil stand at his right hand. When he is judged, may he go out condemned; and may his prayer be turned to sin. May his days be few: and his bishopric let another take. May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Psalm 108:2-9
The Prophet Zachariah recounts Judas' reception and later return of the spoils in his chapter 11:
And I said to them: If it be good in your eyes, bring hither my wages: and if not, be quiet. And they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me: Cast it to the statuary, a handsome price, that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and I cast them into the house of the Lord to the statuary.
Zechariah 11:12-13
Before we get to the how-to of our family's Spy Silver Hunt, there is a misconception that I'd like to clear up about the title bestowed on this day. In recent years many have started attributing the name Spy Wednesday to the gospel reading of Matthew 26:14-25 assigned to this day for the new calendar. However, this is not the case. The Wednesday of Holy Week has long been referred to as Spy Wednesday since it was the historical day, the day before the Last Supper, that Judas sought to betrayed Christ.
Our Family Silver Hunt
In our home, during Holy Week we really want to take time to teach and talk about all the days and events leading up to and encompassing Christ's Passion. And to make today's happenings more tangible we started having a family scavenger hunt where out little boys would find the holy week picture books and 30 silver coins that I hid around the upstairs. We would use whatever silver change we had on hand and would then read St. Matthew's account of Judas' meeting with the Sanhedrin, which is the oldest written. For reference if you want to get a roll of silver coins at the bank, a roll of nickels is $2, dimes are $5, and a roll of quarters is $10 worth.
As our boys got a little older beforehand we added the reading of the two prophecy passages of Psalm 108:2-9 and Zachariah 11:12-13 shared above, and I drew simple picture clues with Scripture references from the Passion of Luke for them to put in order after the hunt. We switched to St. Luke's Passion as the reading of all the Passion accounts for the traditional Mass gospels during Holy Week continues today with the Gospel of Luke. As an aside: St. Luke was one of the missionaries with St. Paul and the author of the Acts of the Apostles. You can read it in parts like on Palm Sunday and Good Friday here.
Once we gained readers we gave out the Passion readings from Luke to whoever found the clue. If a non-reader found it than that Scripture reference turned into a Sword Drill where the boys raced to look it up then read it.
It is also such a joy to see how the children interact with each other during their hunting each year. Each hunt inevitably begins with its own treachery and betrayal as all the kiddos race and battle for the easily visible books and coins. But once they notice the youngest of siblings that may have yet to find anything their ruthlessness quickly shifts for sweetness as they each turn to help them find treasure for their own.
What we love about these silver hunts is that its flexibility can fit the whole range of our children from the the crawling baby finding a book with big brothers help to the elementary aged boys being competitive with the searching of Scripture. And you can tailor it to fit your individual family too. If you only have very wee ones, they can hunt the coins then you can read Matthew's short narrative. If most of your kid's are older, they can do all the reading. Make it your family's own!
For our Spy Wednesday afternoon Liturgical Free Listening we have Edward Elgar’s “The Betrayal,” from his oratorio The Apostles and two classical settings of St. Luke's Passion to choose from. “The Betrayal” depicts Judas’ visit to the Sanhedrin. Of the two Passion setting, the earlier one is by Georg Philipp Telemann and the more recent by Johann Sebastian Bach. We pick one to listen to today while working on other things like Easter Cleaning.
Silver dollar pancakes are a favorite for today's supper and tonight is another great opportunity for Tenebrae. You can pray along with this free booklet here. You can also pray today's Dry Mass with the propers and readings here.
Pax,
Genie
This is so fun! We’ll have to try it next year. What are your Holy Week picture books???