Stay with me, remain here with me: watch and pray.
One thing which I find really beautiful about Holy Week is that we can spend time imagining ourselves there with Jesus, because we know most of what he was doing during this time. To be given an opportunity to imagine ourselves walking with Jesus through the Last Supper, the betrayal, the crucifixion and the resurrection is so special. To be given the instruction, ‘stay here and pray’ is an instruction which we can still be given today. To pray not to be tempted is still a prayer we can pray today. To struggle to be spiritually strong as we are bound by our physical bodies is still something we can do. I can so easily imagine myself there with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane tonight.
Jesus is God incarnate…and yet Jesus prayed to God. When speaking about prayer he said, ‘And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.’ So what is the purpose of prayer? I would say that prayer is a way for people to quieten themselves by focusing on God, and a way to develop their relationship with God. I believe that prayer is a way for us to come humbly to God, who knows all of our weaknesses and to admit to our limitations, our fears or our desires. It is a way for us to be honest with God and for us to listen to the voice of God.
And so tonight we watch and pray, not shying away from the pain that Jesus was about to endure at this point in his final year, but making ourselves vulnerable in his sight just as he made himself vulnerable for us.
The past few months reading through the Gospels I’ve been struck by how much Jesus prayed. It is mind blowing that the 2nd part of the Trinity needed to take time out to actively connect with the rest, it didn’t just happen subconsciously as He went about His business.
How far short of this model I fall!! This is one of the big things I struggle with. I’m so busy doing good and urgent things that I forget to make time to talk to my invisible Master and Lord.
Your post is a delight and the music is gorgeous!! Very meditative.
Found your blog looking for the tag ‘Jesus’ 😀
What a lovely message, thank you! I completely understand what you’re saying. We can but try! 🙂
so very awesome …
I have been attending the annual lentern mission, at our parish St Mary Catholic Church in Dubai.
Rev Fr Robert Preece from England has been preaching.
This taize chant was taught during the course of the mission and praying during the adoration was so awesome. Loved the article as we also had a preaching about prayer and it was similar to what you have written. God Bless. Hilary D’Mello