Ignatian tips 19

Notes: We walk with Jesus on the way to His death. Pay attention to the “introductory prayer”: we ask once again that our lives be directed to the will of God, the only source of our happiness and Resurrection. Recall that the final colloquy is very important: we draw closer to the suffering Jesus and ask Him to strengthen us for our personal life commitments. Make this colloquy at the end of the prayer and often during the day.

Grace: I as the Father for this gift: to feel sorrow with Christ in sorrow; to experience anguish with Christ in anguish; and even to experience tears and interior grief because of all the sufferings Christ endures for me at the end of His life.

Reflections: After His last supper, Jesus experiences agony while praying in the garden. He seems to wish that he could avoid the suffering He is about to undergo. He is betrayed by Judas. He is abandoned by the very friends and disciples who had been his closest companions for the last three years. He is publicly humiliated. His life mission seems to end in failure and ridicule. None of this is an “act.” Christians do believe that Jesus, though always God, actually became “fully human” in nature. Thus this particular moment reveals Jesus’ total solidarity with the human condition. Each of us suffers humiliation, rejection, doubt, as well as our own personal agonies. While inserting yourself into this narrative, pray to experience great solidarity with Jesus and great compassion for Him. Take special note of Jesus’ ultimate and utter faithfulness to His mission, to His Father, and, by extension, to us. Jesus is the one who remains faithful to what He is called to accomplish. He also remains faithful to each of us in our personal moments of grief, pain, and uncertainty.

Use the Ignatian contemplation as you follow Jesus with the disciples to Gethsemane. Stay with them as they wait for Jesus. Or just go there and watch Jesus praying to His Father. We follow Jesus in embracing the Father’s will, experiencing His humiliation, darkness, and doubt. Look at Judas arriving with astonishment and pride, not really understanding the role he is playing. Feel the emotion of this situation. Stay close to Jesus in the house of Caiaphas. Keep your eyes on Jesus: What is He feeling? What is He thinking? How does He respond in this moment? Stay close to Jesus and look at the people who are speaking. What are they saying? What do you feel in this moment? Move forward and follow Peter outside of the house. Watch Jesus here since He knows that Peter will betray Him. Experience the pain of betrayal through some sign of affection. Notice how Jesus regards Peter. Jesus has been denied by the very one whom Jesus had called “Rock” – this is the lot of Jesus which I am invited to share. For me this is a moment of personal truth – How do I feel?

Scripture:

Matthew 26:30-75. “ Then Jesus came to the disciples and said to them: ‘Still asleep? Still resting? The hour has come!’”

Isaiah 42:1-9. “Here is my servant whom I uphold.”

Psalm 54. “Save me, God!”

Colloquy: We stay with Jesus, just as we did yesterday. Our presence is more important than any of our faltering words or awkward actions. We bring our personal depth of feeling, love, and compassion into our prayer. This allows us to accompany Jesus at a greater depth. End with the “Our Father.”