I’m Just Here

 

Lenten Reflection #7

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” – Matthew 6:7

Prayer of Presence. This morning at mass, was my first time to hear of that kind of prayer. What a beautiful thought. To sit with God in silence like two old friends who don’t need words to make each other feel they care. It’s saying, “I’m just here if you need me.”

I asked myself, “How can I show Jesus I’m here for Him this Lent?” Then I remembered seeing the Stations of the Cross set up in our village park as I walked to the church. Maybe that’s one thing I can do – walk with Him to Calvary. But instead of babbling the usual prayers in front of each station, to just be present in the moment, to feel what it’s like…

…to be unjustly condemned, misjudged, bullied.

…to be given a cross too heavy to bear (death of a loved one, debts, illness).

…to fall (into sin, fail in business, lose esteem).

…to weep with the women who cared for Him (as mothers do when their children are hurt).

…to be stripped (of titles, jobs, possessions). 

It will be a different Lenten experience - to pray not with words but with my presence