GOING INTO HIDING
“There he remained with his disciples…” - John 11: 54
Deep breath.
Maybe another deep breath.
Oh, and maybe one more.
That’s better. For a little, at least.
I’m certainly taking many deep breaths as of late. A deep breath for the global economy. A deep breath for those losing jobs and or struggling to pay bills. A deep breath for those dying alone. A deep breath for medical professionals. A deep breath for all the hidden people who continue ensuring that I have food, clothing, shelter. And one more deep breath for the feeling of guilt I have for being so spoiled.
Meanwhile, as strange as it will be this year, Holy Week starts tomorrow. And in today’s gospel, I think there might be something worth noticing. The scene takes place just before Jesus heads into Jerusalem for the last time in his life. The death threats are getting very real, and Jesus knows it. He knows very well that if he goes to Jerusalem for the Passover feast he will definitely be arrested and quite possibly be tortured to death. Either way, Jesus knows his life will never be the same again (sound familiar?). So, what does he do? I kid you not: he does some social distancing. Jesus no longer walked about in public (John 11: 54).
We like to paint a picture that Jesus instantly chooses to bravely march into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to face his death but that’s simply not how the story goes. Rather, Jesus goes into hiding for a while in Ephraim (and then Bethany) with his friends. He was probably scared! I say that again: he was probably scared!
So, perhaps we could each spend some time today with this scared Jesus, this anxious Jesus. Maybe we will notice the deep breaths he was taking; maybe we will take some deep breaths with him. And in doing this with Jesus, perhaps this is a time when we don’t need Jesus to give us strength; perhaps this is a time when we need Jesus to give us weakness.
Tony Cortese, SJ