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Manila Bulletin

Opinion

And it was night

Opinion

And it was night

By Manila Bulletin

REFLECTIONS TODAY

Gospel • John 13:21-33, 36-38

The short segment of Jesus predicting his betrayal at the Last Supper ends with Judas leaving the table to do what he had to do — deliver Jesus to the Jewish authorities. The narration gives briefly the time setting: and it was night. Darkness has become the motif from this point. Judas moves into the darkness, away from Jesus, the light of the world.

Earlier, Jesus said, “People preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil” (Jn 3:19). Crimes are usually committed in the night as when thieves and robbers steal when everything is dark and no one is looking. Normally, when people do wrong, they want to do it in the dark — literally or figuratively — lest they be seen, and worse, recognized. Evil thrives on anonymity.

The somber tone of today’s Gospel prepares us for what we will recall in the next few days of this Holy Week: the arrest, the passion, and death of Jesus — a continuation of the night when he was betrayed. What are the dark nights in my life when I have betrayed the Lord? Are there times when I seek anonymity in order to cover up the wrong that I am doing?

Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

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REFLECTIONS 366 Days with the Lord

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