Day 1/Week 6

While John’s gospel has no account of the Last Supper, it is inconceivable that the author did not know of this central teaching of the faith. As in his treatment of other aspects of Jesus’ ministry, John wishes to draw out further the meaning of what Jesus intended. To this end he tells the story of the washing of the disciples’ feet. Just as in his practice of inclusive table fellowship, Jesus here challenges a sense of identity rooted in dominance and exclusivity. To have the Master wash the feet of the disciples effectively meant that no one was to feel more important than anyone else. All authority is now framed in terms of loving service. He tells them that one day they will grasp the meaning of what he has done, and that when that time comes their happiness will depend on their doing the same for others.

In the “Synoptic” gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Jesus performs miracles to the astonishment and praise of those who witness them, and that is often the end of the story. John, however, sees each miracle as a “sign” which he then proceeds to explain to get at its deeper meaning. This story of the washing of the feet is a case in point. How often in Christian history has the Eucharist become a source of deep division, with people fighting over everything, from its theology to who can participate and what kind of bread to use? With this story of the washing of the disciples’ feet, John brings us back to the core meaning of what Jesus intended. Without humility and loving service to one another, there is no Eucharist.

Prayerfully Read: John 13:1-15

13:1Before the festival of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, having loved those who were his in the world, loved them to the end. 2They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, 4and he got up from table, removed his outer garments and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; 5he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered, “At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.”  8”Never!” said Peter. “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus replied, “If I do not wash you, you can have no share with me.” Simon Peter said, 9”Well then, Lord, not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!” 10Jesus said, “No one who has had a bath needs washing, such a person is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.” 11He knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said, “though not all of you are”. 12When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments again he went back to the table. “Do you understand”, he said, “what I have done to you? 13You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. 14If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you must wash each other’s feet. 15I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.”

Suggested Reflections: An Exercise In Imaginative Prayer

Imagine the upper room - the smell of the food- the oil lamps burning.

The light is dim and Jesus and his disciples are in conversation, huddled around a low table, sharing the meal.

What do they look like?  See their faces; look at their clothing – imagine yourself seated with them.

Look around, who is closest to you? Who do you talk with? Do you stay by yourself?

During the meal Jesus stands, removes his outer garment, pours water into a basin and tying a towel around his waist, begins to wash the feet of the disciples.

All of a sudden, you hear Peter’s protest; he is resistant to having Jesus wash his feet.

Jesus responds, “Unless I wash your feet, you have no share with me.”

Peter relents, “Wash not only my feet but my hands and my head.”

You hear all of this, and as Jesus dries Peter’s feet you realize you are next.

Jesus kneels before you and pours water onto your feet washing them, and then drying them with the towel from around his waist.

Jesus then looks at you and says, “I’m giving you an example, if your teacher and Lord has washed your feet, you should wash the feet of one another.”

What do you have say in response?

What feelings emerge?

Day 2/Week 6

On the Mount of the Transfiguration, Jesus once again hears the words that accompanied his baptism, that he is “Son” and “Beloved” of the Father. It is moments like this one that will sustain him through the agony of the crucifixion that awaits. The sight of Jesus glorified however, is just what Peter and the others have been waiting for. This is where they want to stay. Mark’s gospel will make a point of framing this story between two predictions of the Passion, reminding the reader that the way to glory is unavoidably the way of the Cross. Peter and the other disciples will have to leave the mountaintop behind if they are to enter more fully into the Mystery of Jesus and their role in his mission. The same is true for us. Sometimes the greatest impediment to spiritual growth is not being willing to “come down the mountain.” We hold on to a previous image or experience of God which, however “good” it may seem, leaves us closed to the new work God is doing in our lives.

Prayerfully Read: Mark 9: 2-10

9:2Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain on their own by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: 3his clothes became brilliantly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. 4Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. 5Then Peter spoke to Jesus, “Rabbi,” he said, “it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. 7And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.” 8Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.  9As they were coming down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of man had risen from the dead. 10They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what “rising from the dead” could mean.

Suggested Reflections:

♦ Have I had to struggle to open myself up to new ways of praying or of sharing my faith with others in this retreat?

♦ Have I ever found strength in dark moments by remembering a time when God consoled me?

Day 3/Week 6

In John’s gospel, the raising of Lazarus is too great a loss of face for the authorities. They need to do away with him – he is becoming too big a threat. The High Priest makes a public declaration to this effect, and anyone who knows of his whereabouts must now report it. From this point on Jesus is a hunted and hated man. He stops at Ephraim on the edge of the desert and we can imagine him wrestling with how to proceed: is it really the will of the Father that he walk into the jaws of death? Why not run and stay alive to help people? In the end, sensing that his entire mission and identity are at stake, he chooses to go to Jerusalem. He has discerned that this will be the most loving thing to do; the only way in which he can fully reveal the boundless love that God has for the world.

Read Prayerfully: John 11: 45-57

11:45Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him, 46but some of them went to the Pharisees to tell them what Jesus had done. 47Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting. Here is this man working all these signs, they said, and what action are we taking? 48If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and suppress the Holy Place and our nation.” 49One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, “You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; 50you fail to see that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people, rather than that the whole nation should perish.”51He did not speak in his own person, but as high priest of that year he was prophesying that Jesus was to die for the nation 52and not for the nation only, but also to gather together into one the scattered children of God. 53From that day onwards they were determined to kill him. 54So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples. 55The Jewish Passover was drawing near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves 56were looking out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, “What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?” 57The chief priests and Pharisees had by now given their orders: anyone who knew where he was must inform them so that they could arrest him.

Suggested Reflections:

♦ What have been the “costs” for me of being a disciple of Jesus?

♦ What have been the turning points in my life where my faith was challenged and, like Paul, I could say, “I have run the race and kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7)?

Day 4/Week 6

As we pray the passages that follow in the next few days, it is vital that we not lose sight of the internal aspect of the Passion, and how central is Jesus’ relationship with the One he knew as “Abba Father”. We can see this in Mark’s account of Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane,
for there is a clear progression to the story. As his enemies near and his disciples fall asleep, Jesus collapses to the ground in a sorrow so intense he feels he might die of it. In anguish he asks why it has to be this way. As dark as this moment is, Jesus is able to “hold the tension” until he finds bedrock and reclaims his identity as “Beloved Son”. From here the story takes on a new direction and energy. Jesus does not emerge from this time of prayer in the same way that he began it. In this dark moment, he gets in touch, once again, with the Love of the Father and his core identity as Son, and this gives him the strength to continue. The story ends with him standing up and saying, “Enough! The hour has come…let us be going.”

Prayerfully Read: Mark 14: 32-42
14:32They came to a plot of land called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Stay here while I pray.” 33Then he took Peter and James and John with him. 34And he began to feel terror and anguish. And he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here, and stay awake.” 35And going on a little further he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by. 36”Abba, *[An affectionate Aramaic word, address of child to father.] Father!” he said, “For you everything is possible. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.” 37He came back and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Had you not the strength to stay awake one hour? 38Stay awake and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing enough, but human nature is weak.” 9Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40And once more he came back and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy; and they could find no answer for him. 41He came back a third time and said to them, “You can sleep on now and have your rest. It is all over. The hour has come. Now the Son of man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is not far away.”

Suggested Reflections:

♦ At so sacred a moment, the Church invites us to simply be with Jesus as best we can in his anguish and sorrow. It is a moment to gaze upon this scene with love and gratitude, and to be grasped by the awesome magnitude of what is taking place.

Day 5/Week 6

Just as the road to Calvary reveals the glory of the divinity, it also unmasks the violence and treachery of sin. The Passion of Jesus shows humankind at its very worst, as it conspires to
murder the very image of God in the world. There can be no self-delusion from this point on. The light of God’s full incarnation leaves no room for the darkness and isolation that sin feeds upon. But it is precisely in our realization of God’s love in the face of our sin that conversion can happen. Jesus will undergo all of our diminishments and humiliations, only to lift them up. Allow this scene of Christ’s Passion to speak for itself, not forgetting that hidden within this series of cruel events visited on this most innocent of human beings, Jesus remains faithful to his Father and to the mission of sharing forgiving love with all. 37

Prayerfully Read: Mark 15: 1-41

15:1First thing in the morning, the chief priests, together with the elders and scribes and the rest of the Sanhedrin, had their plan ready. They had Jesus bound and took him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2Pilate put to him this question, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He replied, “It is you who say it.” 3And the chief priests brought many accusations against him. 4Pilate questioned him again, “Have you no reply at all? See how many accusations they are bringing against you!” 5But, to Pilate’s surprise, Jesus made no further reply. 6At festival time Pilate used to release a prisoner for them, any one they asked for. 7Now a man called Barabbas was then in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the uprising. 8When the crowd went up and began to ask Pilate the customary favor, 9Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” 10For he realized it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over. 11The chief priests, however, had incited the crowd to demand that he should release Barabbas for them instead. 12Then Pilate spoke again, “But in that case, what am I to do with the man you call king of the Jews?” 13They shouted back, “Crucify him!” 14Pilate asked them, “What harm has he done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15So Pilate, anxious to placate the crowd, released Barabbas for them and, after having Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified. 16The soldiers led him away to the inner part of the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and called the whole cohort together. 17They dressed him up in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on him. 18And they began saluting him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”19They struck his head with a reed and spat on him; and they went down on their knees to do him homage. 20And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple and dressed him in his own clothes. They led him out to crucify him. 21They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross. 22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull. 23They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it. 24Then they crucified him, and shared out his clothing, casting lots to decide what each should get. 25It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The inscription giving the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews”. 27And they crucified two bandits with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said, “Aha! So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! 30Then save yourself; come down from the cross!” 31The chief priests and the scribes mocked him, “He saved others, he cannot save himself. 32Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, for us to see it and believe.”Even those who were crucified with him taunted him. 33When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, “Listen, he is calling on Elijah.” 36Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink saying, “Wait! And see if Elijah will come to take him down.” 37But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 38And the veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. 39The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, “In truth this man was Son of God.” 40There were some women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary who was the mother of James the younger and Joset, and Salome. 41These used to follow him and look after him when he was in Galilee. And many other women were there who had come up to Jerusalem with him.

Suggested Reflections: Imaginative Prayer

Dim the lights or light a candle.

Place yourself before a crucifix or hold one in your hands

Use your imagination as you prayerfully read the account of the Passion in Mark’s gospel.

Consider the people who are present, Pilate, the crowds, Simon of Cyrene, the centurion, Mary, and the other women who stand at a distance.

Be aware of the feelings that surface in you.

In your imagination approach one of the people, even Christ on the Cross.

Share your feelings to him or her.

Express what is happening in you as you meditate on this mystery.

Day 6/Week 6

Death raises the ultimate question about the meaning of human existence and of our relationship to God. The Church acknowledges that death itself is a mystery, and how natural it is to grieve life’s end and be torn from those we love and the world we are so integrally a part of. To the extent that we do not believe in a life beyond life however, the fear of death can cast a deep shadow over all our living. American culture has been described as obsessed with the denial of death, whether in the massive flight from reality provided by its entertainment and funeral industries, or the euphemisms with which it speaks of the horror of war. If Christian life does not end in the cemetery, then my ultimate purpose and identity transcend my earthly existence. Faith loosens my need to grasp the things of this world, and offers a freedom from fear that suffuses the ordinary moments of my life with the joy and peace of the life to come.

Prayerfully Read: Mark 15: 42-47

15:42It was now evening, and since it was Preparation Day,that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43there came Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent member of the Council, who himself lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God, and he boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44Pilate, astonished that he should have died so soon, summoned the centurion and enquired if he had been dead for some time. 45Having been assured of this by the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph 46who bought a shroud, took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped him in the shroud and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joset took note of where he was laid.

Suggested Reflections:

Take some time today to pray, either in the tomb with Jesus or outside with the two Marys, and
reflect on your understanding of death.

♦ Do I live as if death is the end of everything, or

♦ Do I believe that the love of Jesus has conquered death, and that the Risen Life has already begun to course through my veins?

Day 7/Week 6

Review your journal entries for this week’s prayer before today’s group meeting.

Please Call Me By My True Name
Thich Nhat Hanh

Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow
Because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply; I arrive in every second
To be a bud on a spring branch,
To be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile
Learning to sing in my new nest.
To be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
To be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I still arrive in order to laugh and to cry,
Sowing the Seeds of Contemplation
Week 6 Daily Exercises Page 89
In order to fear and to hope,
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death
Of all that are alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing on
The surface of the river,
And I am the bird which, when spring comes,
Arrives in time to eat the mayfly.
I am a frog swimming happily in the clear
Water of a pond,
And I am the grass-snake, who, approaching
In silence, feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
My legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
And I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons
To Uganda.
I am the twelve year old girl, refugee on a
small boat,
Who throws herself in the ocean
After being raped by a sea pirate,
And I am the pirate, my heart not yet
Capable of seeing and loving.
I am a member of the Politburo with plenty
Of power in my hands.
And I am the man who has to pay his debt of
Blood to my people dying slowly in a
Forced labor camp.
My joy is like spring, so warm it makes
Flowers bloom in all walks of life.
My pain is like a river of tears, so full
It fills all four oceans.
Please call me by my true names,
So I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,
So I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names,
So I can wake up and so the door of my heart
Can be left open,
The door of compassion.