And It was Night
Tuesday of Holy Week
During Holy Week, the final three Lenten Gospels all describe a dinner with Judas present. Today’s Gospel is that sad scene of betrayal at the Last Supper. A meal is something that is shared by those who are in terms with one another. This is usually done by family and friends but never with enemies. Jesus ate with his disciples as a sign of fellowship and friendship. The apostles were his close collaborators in preaching the Kingdom of God. They listened to him, learned from him, and stayed with him. This meal, which was to be his last before entering into his glory, was his act of love for them and, supposed to be, an assurance that they will be with him into whatever end. With this gesture of Jesus, he considered Judas as one of his friends, his apostle, his close collaborator. Yet Jesus began His meal with them with the statement, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me,” and this stirred up reactions and questions from the apostles, “Master who is it?” The famous Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the late 1400s depicted this scene, the first part of today’s Gospel.
When Jesus gave the morsel to Judas, he took it and the whole scene changes: Satan entered him and when he left, the description given in the Gospel said, “and it was night.” Darkness has come upon the world. Everyone was left with questions, but for Jesus, that was a moment to teach them that the hour had come for Him to be glorified. It was night, dark, and gloomy, but the glory that will be revealed by the Father through Him will pierce through it, bringing light, hope, and salvation. It is only when dark that we come to notice and appreciate the light.
Brothers and sisters, today’s liturgy gives us a dramatic build-up of events in the life of our Lord that will lead to His passion and death on the cross. It might seem a defeat for many because of the suffering that He underwent, the wounds that our Lord endured, the betrayal that He has experienced, and the death that He faced, yet it was also the hour of His glory, His victory, and life. When our Lord Jesus said, “unless a grain of wheat dies, it will not bear fruit,” it was a teaching that He exemplified and this we also celebrate these days of the Holy Week. If we are facing suffering, difficulties, problems, and sorrows these days, let us gaze upon our Lord on the cross and find hope, consolation, and life from Him. Let these words from the song entitled, In Your Darkest Hour by Hangad Music Ministry be a prayer and a source of hope during these days of the Holy Week.
In your darkest hour, did you see Me?
In your deepest sorrow, did you feel My comfort?
In your loneliness, did you take My outstretched Hand?
Your darkness is Mine too, and your sorrows I do share,
In your brokenness, My child, I am there.
In your time of pain, I embraced you,
Soothed your wounded spirit, whispered words of courage,
Led you by the hand when you knew not where to go.
For your darkness is Mine too, and your sorrows I do share,
In your brokenness, My child, I am there.
And My Hand shall never leave you. You are Mine, My child.
Cast your load upon Me and rest your weary heart.
As is now and will always be: I am there.
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