Stay Connected to Jesus

By MaryBeth Eberhard

“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.” ~ John 14:18

As a mother who has adopted one of her children, I am always called to the word orphan in scripture. It tugs on my heart, as no one wants to feel alone and abandoned. I marvel at how many times I allow myself to feel that way. Alone, scared, and worried. Jesus doesn’t want that for us. In this passage, John 14:15-21, Jesus is speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper, ensuring them he will not leave them alone. He promises them they will see Him because He lives within them.

Keep Jesus at the Center

This flashes me forward in scripture to the road to Emmaus, where the two disciples are walking with Jesus. As he departs from them, they say, “Were not our hearts burning within us when he spoke to us?” I often stand in awe of the moments I feel Jesus working in my life and am humbled by how many moments I miss when I do not keep Him as the center from which all I do flows. My goal is to be thought of as a crazy person who talks out loud… to Jesus. Please, Jesus, let this be part of my glory story! Those moments of check-in with Him, whether over the deepest concerns of my heart or a laugh shared over an antic of one of my children, keeping Jesus at the center of my days helps me recognize His presence in all I encounter.

Jesus Consoles Us

At the Last Supper, Jesus’s connection to His disciples is a trinitarian view of relationships. I am within you. You are within me, and we are in the Father. Sometimes I let the weight of my crosses isolate me from others, and I feel alone. Yet this is not what He wants for us! There is such comfort in Jesus’s words here. Even at this last meal, I marvel that He consoles us before we know we need to be consoled! From our baptism as Christians, He is with us and for us. When we realize this, we stay in a relationship with Him. That relationship allows Him to reveal Himself more fully to us. The promises Jesus offers us at His Last Supper are bold and generous, yet all he asks of us is to believe, trust and love Him fully without reserve. Lord, I am humbled by your knowledge of me. You knew I would need you before you even left!

Prayer

Father, when I feel alone, help me remember the peace and promises you offered at your Last Supper and that you have not left me alone. Remind me you are with me, advocating for me always.

Call to Action

Let us take a moment to thank the Lord for the many ways He is made manifest in our lives. Let us thank Him for the Eucharist, where we can encounter His real presence. Let us also have hearts to see those around us who might feel alone or abandoned and bring them with us to mass or say a simple prayer so that they may feel the presence of Love surrounding them.