“Maundy Thursday” Reflections
This tiny blue chapel is located atop a hill at St. Gertrude’s Monastery in Cottonwood, Idaho. I have taken several personal retreats to St. Gertrude’s and always hike up the hill to the cemetery where many Benedictine nuns are buried, including my husband’s aunt, Sister Mildred Lustig. I always spend time in the chapel, which holds only two short pews. It is a place of serenity where I feel the close presence of God.
Today, the day before Good Friday, is known as Holy, or Maundy Thursday.
The word maundy is derived from a Latin word, which means commandment and refers to the commandment Jesus gave to his disciples after washing their feet at the Last Supper.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34 NKJV)
Several hours later in the Garden of Gethsemane, while his weary disciples slept, Jesus agonized in prayer, crying out to God:
Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me. Yet not my will, but yours be done. (Mark 14:36)
Theologian John Piper calls this the “greatest prayer in the world .…”[i] I agree.
A few years ago, Ron and I had the privilege of traveling to Israel. The group with which we traveled was permitted 45 minutes in the Garden of Gethsemane. After a brief devotional, our leader encouraged us to find a quiet place to pray.
The Garden of Gethsemane
The memory is etched on my soul!
Sitting on a bench among the grove of olive trees, my senses were overwhelmed.
God, how does one pray in the Garden of Gethsemane?
I spent the first few minutes apologizing for my humanness. Remembering Jesus’ prayer of utter submission, I realized how often I want my will—assuming it must also be God’s will—to be done.
Then, in a rare moment of deep spiritual knowing, I felt a sacred invitation
I know all about your flaws, and I love you anyway. Just sit with me and BE?
For the remainder of our time, I soaked in God’s love and marveled at the willingness of Jesus to set aside his desire and experience the agony of “Good Friday.” In the Garden, my belief in “redemption” and “resurrection” deepened. When we exited, I knew I had spent time in God’s presence.
Celtic Christians call places such as the tiny blue chapel at St. Gertrude’s or the Garden of Gethsemane “thin places.” “Thin places” are where we simply know we have encountered God, and according to Becky Eldredge, an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, “They are the places of ‘holy ground’ in our lives.”[i]
In closing today, I’m asking God to give you a sense of soul refreshment and restoration during this Holy Week.
Have a blessed Easter!
