And It Was Night

“And it was night.” As Judas took the bread from Jesus, the Gospel of John says, "He went out. And it was night.” It strikes me just how helpful that line can be for us in fight against temptation and sin.

It seems to me that even though we are awake during the day, striving quite imperfectly to be virtuous while moving about among our fellow man, our more frightening betrayals of the Lord most often occur in the hour referred to as “night.”

Saint John likens the night to the darkness in Judas’ soul, of course. But there is something to be said for the fact that we become most like Judas ourselves in the night. That darkness creeps into our soul most often after the sun has gone down.

Peter’s denial of the Lord also took place in the cold, dark night. In the darkness of Caiphas’ courtyard, while Peter was standing around a charcoal fire trying to keep warm, he said, “I do not know the man.” Again, it was night.

Whatever else we do in striving to follow the Lord in fidelity - whatever disciplines or routines we take up - let us lie down to sleep at the earliest possible time. It seems to me that very little good happens in the night.

As for the redemption of the dark, let’s leave that to the monks who rise in the middle of the night to pray for the world. And if we should awaken while it is still night, let us turn to prayer ourselves, until we are able to rest again.

And if we should fall in the night, like Judas, let us seek the Lord’s mercy in the morning, like Peter, who was able to say to Jesus, “Lord, underneath the cold, dark denial of you is still a tender flame of affection for you. Please, do not abandon me.” +