Feeling lonely? Isolated? Read this!

So we have talked about the betrayal of Jesus by Judas and how to prepare your home and heart for the high holy days we are entering into with the Triduum.

The Triduum consists of three days, running from Holy Thursday’s evening Mass to evening prayer on Easter Sunday.  The high point is the Easter Vigil, which is the time reserved for catechumens (the unbaptized) to be baptized and enter into the Church.  Easter Vigil is on Saturday, the evening before Easter.

Easter Vigil is also the time when those who have already been baptized can receive Confirmation and Holy Communion if they have not already done so. It is also a time for those who are not Catholic to make a profession of faith and express their desire to enter the Church. 

So today, Holy Thursday, is the day when we recall Jesus washing the feet of his disciples (John 13).  This high point calls to mind how Jesus, even though he is God, models the necessity of his disciples carrying on his mission with a servant-minded way of life.  Its emphasis on humility, service and intimate caring for the poor are hallmarks of discipleship.

In fact, he tells them:

“I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”  We are called to wash one another’s feet.

It is particularly noteworthy to recognize the institution of the priestly ordination at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper tonight as well.  The strength of this continuing Eucharist provides nourishment for all of us while commemorating the cross tomorrow, on Good Friday.

But there is something else I would like to mention.  Tucked between the Lord’s Supper and the betrayal, scripture describes an essential event—the Agony in the Garden.

I don’t want to skip over this important passage; it has long been one of my favorites.  Today, especially, I think it holds deep meaning for many of us as we face isolation and potential sadness.

Often when visiting my mom before she died, we would see residents sitting alone, looking out the window, waiting for their son or daughter to visit them. 

Expectation, waiting, loneliness.  They are all part of Holy Week as well.

In the Agony, Jesus took Peter, James and John to Gethsemane and asked them to sit down and wait for him while he went off to pray.  Scripture tells us (Mt 26:37) that Jesus “began to feel sorrow and distress.”  He told them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death.”

Jesus knew the events leading up to his death were about to unfold, and not unlike us to some degree, he had a physical/emotional response to it.

His response, which is so beautiful, is revealed in these words—words we, too, can humbly speak whenever we are faced with a trial:

“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.”

Back and forth he went to his disciples, three times, until finally he told them, “Get up, let us go.  Look, my betrayer is at hand.”

You see, while Jesus was going through this tremendous suffering, anticipating what was to come, his closest friends, exhausted, fell asleep! 

It is particularly poignant for us today to consider the loneliness of that moment.  And, on a typical Holy Thursday when we can attend our services, there is often a procession after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper to a room (often decorated like a garden), where we become the ones who wait with Jesus.  We await Good Friday, his death on a cross.

My niece put a post on Facebook recently that I think connects all of this.  It may be the truest statement I have read lately:

“To everyone struggling with being alone during isolation . . . this is how our grandmas and grandpas and parents feel when we don’t visit.  This is how the older people in nursing homes feel when no one visits.  Remember them when this is over!”

If you have ever known anyone in a nursing home, assisted or independent living, or even an older person who lives alone, you can understand the truth in these words.

Let us draw from the Agony in the Garden and the personal struggle of Jesus, his loneliness, suffering and death and make every effort to stay awake during these highest holy days of the year.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.bogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net (podcasts)