Some Christian Meditations from Bob…

This week is holy week in the Catholic Church, a time for reflect, meditate and honour the essence of our faith.

Holy Thursday involves a special mass, celebrating the sacrament (meaning sacred mystery) of the Eucharist.

And Jesus said, “do this in memory of me”.

It also involves an evening of quiet, private meditation in the church after the mass.

This is an ancient practice, unfortunately not practiced by most Christians. And it is intended to be a meditation rite, but most do not know about meditation.

I do know about meditation, thankfully, and this practice reminds me of how on that same evening over two thousand years ago Jesus prayed and meditated in the garden of Gethsemane. In the garden he surely showed his human traits, trembling in fear and in his moment of agony, prayed to God.

Good Friday is a day of honouring the passion of Jesus as he was out to death.

It is in his honour, and my attempt to develop faith I will meditate.

I share with you some particular aspects of larger Gospel recordings associated, which will form the theme of my personal meditation. The readings are well known, but the passages I share have personal meaning even if they are minor elements. I wonder if they have any meaning for you?

First, a passage outlining an encounter Jesus had with a woman drawing water at a well. This is a reading often made during lent ( another period of intended meditation, honouring Jesus’ retreat into the desert).

Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar. Jesus, tired by his journey was sitting by the well.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her “give me a drink”.
The woman said to him, “how is it that you a Jew ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaritan (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans).

Jesus answered her, “if you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘give me a drink’, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water”.

{Gospel of John 4: 5 – 42)

There is considerably more dialogue in this reading, including the discovery that she is with a man who is not her husband, and she had “many husbands”. Scholars have speculated that the woman was a prostitute. The disciples of Jesus were shocked that he engaged with this “shamed woman” who is not even of their faith.

But Jesus rebuked them, indicating that the spiritual water (“life”) is available to all who ask, and it will be given.

For me, the most profound statement in the entire passage is, “if you know the gift of God…”
He was talking to you and me. Our very existence in creation are gifts from God. We too are sons and daughters of God. If only we would know this and believe this to be true. Then so much more would fall into place, including that God provides everything we need.

This is powerful message, to every child and now adult who carries shame or was abused, feels lonely or abandoned or lost. And its meaning is worth every moment of quiet meditation to truly integrate its meaning to one’s self.

Jesus also said in this passage, “ God is spirit and truth, and those worship him must do so in spirit and truth”.

The second passage for my meditations comes from the Gospel accounts of the Passion (meaning suffering) of Jesus, as he was tried, crucified and died on the cross.

To provide some context, it is a historically accepted fact that Jesus most certainly was a spiritual leader, and a prophet by major religions. In Christianity, Jesus was God who took on human form. And that he was in fact crucified, a Roman form of maximum punishment intended for the worst criminals, designed in part to intimidate its subjugated people.

Jesus was in fact was crucified with two other men, again a common Roman practice. But what was unique about the crucifixion of Jesus was that the Jewish leaders actively encouraged the Romans to put him to death in this manner, not the other way around. And much of the passion, beyond the physical suffering was the pain associated with the verbal abuse and emotional humiliation he endured as a man. This was all part of his human suffering. (“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”).

The last dialogue Jesus had, while on the cross and before he died, was the following…

Jesus was crucified between two men, convicted criminals, one on his left and one on his right.

One of the criminals who were hanged kept deriding Jesus saying to him, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself, and us!”

But the other man rebuked the first saying,

“Do you not fear God, since you are under the sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong”.

Then he said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom”

Jesus near death responded, “truly I tell you , today you will be with me in paradise”.

(Luke 22:14 – 23:56)

By this time, most of Jesus followers had scattered, fearful for their human lives. While Jesus suffered, only a few stayed in their faith and bore witness to Jesus in his moment of truth…

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved (believed to be John) standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son”

Then he said to the disciple, “here is your mother”.

Knowing all was near completion, and to fulfill scripture Jesus said, “I am thirsty”. He was given some wine on a sponge. After taking the wine he said, “it is done” and gave up his spirit.

(John 18:1 – 19:42)

These accounts of Jesus’ last moments, and his dialogue with the human witness are rich in content, worthy of humble reflection.

I can relate to the setting of the three men on the cross. Ever had opposing “voices” influencing your thoughts and actions. One was angry, afraid and projecting fear onto another innocent person. How often this seems to happen.

Yet another was atoning, recognizing his responsibilities and his mortality. But he found the strength he needed, through faith to overcome fear. The most profound and memorable passage, is when this humbled man asked, “remember me”.

How wondrous. Supreme consciousness, in the moment asking for his spiritual life. This line resonates throughout the year for me.

Notice as well, how so many had succumbed to fear. Only a few could withstand the pain and stayed present for Jesus. A lesson for us all.

But something else quite special happened. On an earthly level, Jesus made sure his mother would be taken care of by his disciples after his death. But on a divine plane, Jesus was telling all of humanity that his mother, Mary was a mother for all of the world. To this day millions upon millions have prayed to Mary, the mother of Jesus and “Mother of all the world”.

One final reflection. It strikes me how in his final moments, Jesus asks for a drink, just like he did with the woman at the well. At that time he was distinguishing between drink which sustains you compared to the water that gives to life.

Here it is again at the very last moment of his life. The meaning of this passage defies words. Better to simple meditate….Bob