Angels in Waiting
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If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.
—2 Timothy 2:13 (RSVCE)
It was a Holy Thursday service – Maundy Thursday. Both were new terms to me, as my Protestant background had never given special treatment to the Thursday before Easter.
But now, I was among the congregants in a Catholic church as three priests processed around the nave, the first carrying the Blessed Sacrament (another new idea) to the altar of repose (yet more newness). The room darkened as choir members assembled in the church narthex, surrounding a tall wooden crucifix draped with purple. They sang Christ’s agony, “Stay with me, remain here with me. Watch and pray.” [1]
I exited the church and walked across the parking lot wondering, Would I have stayed with Jesus? Most of His disciples abandoned Jesus in His agony. What would I have done? I probably would have deserted Him, too. Thinking through this, I blamed an inner fear of being ostracized, publicly shamed, disliked, or forced to stand with Christ in His sufferings.
The next morning, I brought these thoughts and feelings to God. My daily reading included Psalm 139. Whither shall I go then from thy presence? If I climb up into heaven, thou art there; if I go down to hell, thou art there also. If I take the wings of the morning, and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there also shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. (Ps. 139:6-9)
Throught the scriptures, God was promising me His faithfulness despite my personal failures and weakness.
Try me, O God, and seek the ground of my heart; prove me, and examine my thoughts. Look well if there be any way of wickedness in me; and lead me in the way everlasting (Ps. 139:23-24).
Reflect: Think of a time you may have fled or felt far from God. Even then, He was on hand waiting for you.
View Lisa Livezey’s 1-minute photo devotions at https://www.lisalivezey.com/olivetree.
[1] Taize, “Stay with Me,” Wait for the Lord, 1995.
[1] Taize, “Stay with Me,” Wait for the Lord, 1995.
Lisa Livezey writes from Pennsylvania where she found her way to Rome via the Anglican Ordinariate. She is the author of Minding Mom: A Caregiver's Devotional Story (En Route Publishing) and contributes to the National Catholic Register, Guideposts books and devotionals, and more. Her weekly photo devotions found at lisalivezey.com/olivetree are viewed worldwide and utilized by Visio Divina prayer groups. Lisa is a wife, mom, and grandma, volunteers in church and civic settings, and serves on the executive team at Heart of the Father Ministries. She credits her husband with giving her name alliteration and sometimes on summer weekends can be spotted sailing the Chesapeake Bay alongside her spouse.
