Lent Guide: In the Shadow of Gethsemaneಮಾದರಿ

…follow Him

The disciples followed him.– Luke 22:39b

Jesus had the habit of pulling away and spending time in solitude. He invites His followers to do the same. He knows that they need it, and there is no doubt in His mind that they will be able to do it. He asks them:

Come off by yourselves– Mark 6:31

But they don’t take Jesus up on His invitation. They focus on everything that needs to be done, everyone who must be helped, everything that will fall apart if they go away now to be quiet. They even enjoy being busy, feeling the adrenaline pumping, and they tell Jesus everything that happens as if He doesn’t know already. (Mark 6:30). Until Jesus forces them to a stop.

Doesn’t Jesus do this to us, too? If we don’t come to a stop, we get sick, or our lives fall apart until we are eventually forced to a stop. We cannot live without solitude.

Solitude – the place of loneliness, the deserted place, the inner room, the mountain, the desert – is a place where you are alone with Him. The place where you cut yourself off from external stimulation – social interaction, television, telephone, information, etc. The stillness starts outside so that you can have it on the inside.

The place (of silence) is like a container that helps us come to a stop so the (inner) water of our consciousness can calm down. It’s something that must be learned. David says he has learned to calm his soul (his inner world). (Psalm 131:2). A church father said: when the turbulent, muddy waters of our consciousness become still, the mud settles, and everything becomes clear. You see yourself and the reflection of heaven in the pool. It’s the only way of connecting with ourselves, becoming present, and being with Him.

Exercise

• Find a place and leave everything for 10 minutes to just be. As well as you can.
• Reflect on your experience without judging it. Just notice what happened inside you.
• In which direction did your thoughts go?
• What did you think about? (What do you need to do? What has happened?)
• What type of thoughts did you have? (Worry? Planning? Daydreams? Fantasy?)
• What did you try to do with the thoughts? (Nothing? Didn’t realise you were thinking of them at the time. Fight? Replace?)
• Share with Him what you think and feel about your experience.

Prayer: I ask for a deep consciousness of Your love and work in my life.