"It was into the wildest part Jesus went to pray"
Last week, we took our day off as a desert day, which is when we spend the day in silence, meditation, and prayer. I chose to spend the afternoon in the small garden next to Mike's Place, one of my favorite spots here at Covecrest. Hidden by tall bushes and vines entwined around the fence, the garden is simple and beautiful. It's wild, not perfectly kept, but a perfect spot for reflection. As I sat in the garden, I wondered if Gethsemane was a place such as this, wondered if Jesus spent the Passover night in a garden like ours.
Tonight after Holy Thursday mass, we processed with the Blessed Sacrament from the ampitheater, and I assumed we were headed for the chapel (this is the first Holy Week in years that I have not been very very involved in the planning and execution of Holy Week Services, and I have been glorying in that). Instead, we entered the garden. And as I kneeled on the stone, gazing upon the tabernacle through the branches of a bush, looking at Jesus sitting in the spot where I had sat a week before, I felt that God was answering my prayer in a way. Maybe Gethsemane did look like our garden physically, maybe not, but in any case, it was a place such as ours- a place of prayer, a place to wait and watch with the Lord, a place where the Lord is praying for you.
Last week, we took our day off as a desert day, which is when we spend the day in silence, meditation, and prayer. I chose to spend the afternoon in the small garden next to Mike's Place, one of my favorite spots here at Covecrest. Hidden by tall bushes and vines entwined around the fence, the garden is simple and beautiful. It's wild, not perfectly kept, but a perfect spot for reflection. As I sat in the garden, I wondered if Gethsemane was a place such as this, wondered if Jesus spent the Passover night in a garden like ours.
Tonight after Holy Thursday mass, we processed with the Blessed Sacrament from the ampitheater, and I assumed we were headed for the chapel (this is the first Holy Week in years that I have not been very very involved in the planning and execution of Holy Week Services, and I have been glorying in that). Instead, we entered the garden. And as I kneeled on the stone, gazing upon the tabernacle through the branches of a bush, looking at Jesus sitting in the spot where I had sat a week before, I felt that God was answering my prayer in a way. Maybe Gethsemane did look like our garden physically, maybe not, but in any case, it was a place such as ours- a place of prayer, a place to wait and watch with the Lord, a place where the Lord is praying for you.
2 comments:
Beautifully depicted Colleen...the simplicity of the garden really is inviting, peaceful, and prayerful.
I can certainly understand how it is one of your favorite spots.
What a [rare] treat for you to not have been involved in the planning and execution of Holy week and Easter liturgies...inviting you to just embrace the joy of the season! Alleluia!
Colleen,
When we, the priests and others turned around and saw all of you in prayer, it took me back to the first time Christ asked for His friends to stay awake and pray. The scene is forever burned into my memory. Quiet, waiting, wondering, in awe and in prayer we waited for our Lord. The days after were a perfect Triduum experience. Thank you!
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