Day 25

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to His Disciples, “Sit here, while I go yonder and pray.” And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with Me.” Matthew 26:36-38 (From the Gospel of the Vesperal Liturgy on Holy Thursday Morning)

Today’s scripture passage and the reflection of Fr. Stavros seems as if it was written for today, for the situation we find ourselves in during this pandemic. We are, in a sense, alone. Some, who live by themselves, are truly alone. Others, who have people living with them, are still apart from people that they usually interact with on a daily basis.

As Fr. Stavros points out, at this point in scripture, Jesus knows that what lies ahead is the pain and suffering of the Crucifixion. So what does He do? He goes to pray. And He asks three of His disciples to watch with Him. It is interesting as pointed out that Jesus doesn’t ask the Disciples to pray with Him, to suffer with Him. He only asked them to watch with Him, to be near Him.

Many studies have shown that loneliness can be a powerfully debilitating thing. It can bring fear, uncertainty, and anxiety. This is one of the hardest things to deal with right now, especially in the Church. The Church, through its services, its fellowship, offers us comfort and togetherness. It offers us the chance to be with like minded people, who feel the same and believe the same. This is also powerful, but certainly not debilitating. In fact, we could see it as exhilarating. This sense of togetherness gives us purpose…and that purpose is salvation.

As Christians, we are never alone. First and foremost…GOD IS WITH US! We can never forget this. Secondly, we are with each other. At this present time, that togetherness is a little different and perhaps strange. But we are still together: in prayer, in worship, if faith. Yes, it is done over a phone, a tablet or a computer, but we are still together. We are “watching” with one another during this difficult time. And it is vitally important that we do so, that we keep this connection with each other.

However long we find ourselves separated, trying to keep one another healthy, the Church and its members need to “watch”, to be there for one another. Pray…watch and participate in the services…join the teleconferencing of classes and talks. In this way we “watch” with one another, we push back the isolation, we calm the fear, and we eliminate the anxiety. And we grow stronger together in our faith.

Be sure to “watch” each and every day!

In Christ

Fr. David