by Sr. Sheila Campbell   MMM           Ireland            15.04.2022   
Last year, and the year before, it was Covid-19. This year it is war. The broken body of Jesus is flashed before us each day as we watch the images of death and destruction. What is our response to the unfolding tragedy we behold?

Last evening, after the Celebration of the Last Supper, we, Christians, entered into this period of “Watching and Praying” with the Lord as He faced the agony in the garden of Gethsemani. When I went into the convent chapel, I could not help but notice the Sisters who had gathered before me. Almost every Sister who was very elderly was there; everybody who needed assistance with mobility – with their sticks, walking frames, and trolleys, they were all there. I began to understand that those whose bodies are broken with injury, illness or just old age, these are the ones who can most identify with the agony and suffering of Jesus. They are the ones who are able to understand brokenness.

And our response? For some it will be a call to action, to raise funds, to offer hospitality, to go on protest marches. For many is will be just sitting with and accompanying the “agony of Christ” as it unfolds in our world today. Whatever we are able to do today, let us do it wholeheartedly. As we enter into this ‘waiting period’ before the resurrection, may our hearts and minds be one with all people who are ‘trapped’ in difficult circumstances. It may be war, as in Ukraine, it may be with the soldiers – on both sides – who are called to fight. But it is also for the many others in our world who are trapped in broken relationships, addictions and a lack of hope for the future.

We wait – and we believe in the coming Resurrection of the Lord.