Accompanying Christ on the Journey

      Recently I had a patient and dear friend die from Lou Gehrig’s Disease. For four years we journeyed through this dehabilitating illness as muscle groups deteriorated and ceased to work. Even as a health care provider, I felt helpless to relieve her pain and suffering. Yet it is far more in our presence, caring and love that we support and embrace another’s pain and sorrow.

     In today’s gospel, Matthew 20:17-28, Jesus gathers the disciples [and us] and says, “Behlod, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

     Jesus is asking each of us to accompany him on the journey. In Baptism we entered fully into the Mystical Body of Christ and into the Paschal Mystery. How in this world are we going to accompany Jesus? The same way we accompany any loved one on a painful journey. We do this by allowing our hearts to beat with his—beat for beat—reaching out with love and compassion to him and to all the suffering members of His Body within our midst today. We can do this only through the sanctifying grace that is being provided for us daily through Jesus’ suffering and death. Within the journey we are also accompanied by the Unifying love within the Trinity. May God’s peace be with each of you on the Journey.

     Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine. Sr. Joan Gripshover, OSB