In those final hours before the suffering and the dying;
as the betrayal is unfolding and the breaking of the body, and the breaking of the bond,
is becoming ever more imminent…
There they all are,
at the Gate of Gethsemane,
breathing in air heavy with the gravity
of dread, and pain, and powerlessness…
There, on the path of the Paschal Mystery,
Jesus draws the disciples ever more deeply into the Incarnational Embrace.
There, where we come from God and go to God…
Jesus whispers urgently:
Abide in me,
and I will come to you.
I will not leave you desolate.
I will take you to myself.
I will make in you a home.
The Spirit will make it so…
Abide in me,
and my joy will be in you,
it will fill you.
Even when everything indicates otherwise,
I will not leave you.
I am here to find you.
Are you here to find me?
—Moira and Richard Clark are Catholic high school educators in Cleveland, OH. Rich is President of St. Martin dePorres High School, and Moira is Dean of Student Life & Formation at Magnificat High School.