Lent reflection 4

Gethsemane

Lent 4 Wednesday 10 March

by Deacon Selina

Gethsemane is by the American artist J. Kirk Richards, whose themes are mostly Judeo-Christian.

This painting speaks of the vulnerability of Christ in the garden as he prays that he will not have to face the inevitable, but concludes with the words,
Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.

This poem was written by Rudyard Kipling during the Great War. A soldier muses upon his approaching death much as Jesus did as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion.

The Garden called Gethsemane
In Picardy it was,
And there the people came to see
The English soldiers pass.
We used to pass -- we used to pass
Or halt, as it might be,
And ship our masks in case of gas
Beyond Gethsemane.

The Garden called Gethsemane,
It held a pretty lass,
But all the time she talked to me
I prayed my cup might pass.
The officer sat on the chair,
The men lay on the grass,
And all the time we halted there
I prayed my cup might pass.

It didn't pass -- it didn't pass-
It didn't pass from me.
I drank it when we met the gas
Beyond Gethsemane!

Reflect
Lent is a time of examination of our "inner lives", and as we reflect we may discover that there have been "sins of omission", where we have failed or avoided addressing certain tasks. As we reflect and name them, give thanks that we have a forgiving God, who is ALWAYS ready to forgive us.