(I John 2)
Perhaps you have heard this story before. Once a rabbi asked his disciples how one knows when the night ends and the day begins. “Is it when you can tell the difference between a coyote and a cow on the horizon?” one disciple responded. “No,” the rabbi said, “not then.” “I know,” another disciple answered. “It’s when you can look over the meadow and distinguish the oak tree from the apple tree.” “No, that’s not it either,” the Rabbi said. “Then when is it?” all the disciples demanded. The rabbi spoke very deliberately: “The day begins when you can look into the eyes of a stranger and see your brother or sister. If you cannot do that, you are still in the night.”
St. John in the section of his first letter which we read today says very nearly the same thing. He admonishes his readers: “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother, is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall.” Of course, the same applies to women: whoever says she is in the light and hates her brother or sister, is still in darkness.” For different sociological reasons men may have a larger share of the night. But darkness is no one gender’s exclusive domain. Plenty of women as well as men need to open their eyes to the day.
