Holy Week Retreat

Thanks to assistant curate Sara MacVane of All Saints Anglican Church in Rome, I was part of a day-long retreat at the church to begin Holy Week. The retreat centered on people Jesus met during his earthly ministry, and I was responsible for two of the four meditations, as well as the morning and evening prayer service. Following are notes and reflections from my two sections.

[Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner." Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much." Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost." - Luke 19:1-10

• As a child, I was supposed to identify with Zacchaeus because he was little (although I never grew out of it) and was supposed to be comforted that Jesus can notice even little people - especially when they go to great lengths to seek him.
• Zacchaeus's story is more remarkable when we think about who he is: a tax collector. The Roman empire collected taxes from the lands they occupied, and employed locals to do the collecting. These locals were seen as traitors; to make matters worse they often took a little extra for themselves, making them also thieves.
• Zacchaeus seeks Jesus earnestly, in spite of his sins and the way people see him.
• Jesus knows and affirms Zacchaeus's interest, going so far as to want to eat with him - the ultimate statement of solidarity.
• Most amazingly, Zacchaeus proclaims Jesus as his Lord!
• Once he does so, Zacchaeus is also able to recommit his life to change for the better and service to his neighbor. However, faith comes before action.
• When we hear Zacchaeus's story, we realize that Jesus answers to those who look for him, no matter how small, sinful or lost they might be.
• No matter who we are or what we've done, God's grace in Jesus Christ allows us to be reborn and truly live life for the better.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" - John 4:4-24 (excerpt vv.21-29)

• After the fall of the Northern Kingdom to the Assyrians in 722 BC, the Samaritans were those former Israelites left behind who eventually intermarried with the occupiers. They were therefore seen by the Jews as ethnically impure.
• Because they were cut off from Jerusalem, they established their own place of worship on Mt. Gerizim; the Jews saw them also as religiously unacceptable.
• Jesus, as a good Jewish Rabbi, should not be speaking with a woman unaccompanied - especially not a Samaritan.
• This woman was at the well in the heat of the day, at noon. Likely, she was trying to avoid the gossip that surrounded her sinful life.
• She tries constantly to redirect Jesus' comments, first about her personal life and then matters of faith. She either does not understand or does not really wish to engage.
• Even when Jesus himself tells her he is the Messiah, she is not able to make the proclamation for herself.
• Sometimes people simply are not at the right place and time in their life to be ready for the change Christ brings. Instead of being frustrated with them or forcing them, we must give them their own time. Who knows what changes might happen in her community?
• The Gospel is especially for those who we might consider outsiders. In spite of everything working against her, Jesus selected this woman to reveal himself to.

The services themselves were taken from the Church of England's Daily Prayer book, which is a wonderful resource for seasonal prayers and meditations. I was even presented with a copy as a thank you for my help. The experience itself would have been thanks enough - it was very interesting to present to a group with such diverse backgrounds in language, faith, nationality and age. It made me think about the varieties of people that meet Jesus today, and how we might have nothing in common except him. Nonetheless, we are honored to call each other sisters and brothers.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... as there is but one body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may henceforth be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. (From the Book of Daily Prayer)