AUDIO MEDITATION:

Ilya Repin (Russian, 1844-1930), Judas. Public domain.

FULL TEXT:

Today’s Gospel takes us to the Last Supper, where Jesus identifies his betrayer by saying, “It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.” He dipped the morsel and handed it to Judas. The Gospel reports that Judas took the morsel and left at once—“and it was night.”

Judas’ mission is at odds with Jesus’ work—he’s not getting what he wants out of Jesus, and it has come to a breaking point. Instead of submitting to God’s designs, as Jesus will do in the garden, Judas decides to go his own way—he plots and schemes to move Jesus out of the picture.

This portrait of Judas shows him trapped in darkness and envy. His body is turned towards darkness, and he looks back at the light he’s turned against. He hates the light—we can see it in his face—because his vision is twisted. Sin has led him to despair and he won’t let go of it, even though it is painful.

How does sin disfigure the image of God within us? How might we return to the light?