May 25th, 2023: Solitude

 

I don't mind being alone. Sometimes it is helpful to have such a time. I can think about the many challenges I face. I can discern my thoughts and feelings. Being alone was one of the significant aspects of Jesus' life. Why? one might ask.

Jesus needed communion with God: He needed quiet places to do that. It affirmed their relationship. His connection with God gave him comfort and the assurance of his calling to be in the world and His place in human redemption.

Contemplation was also another discipline that Jesus had. He thought about the disciples and their interaction with Him and one another. He prayed for His followers, who had been with him for three years before His death and resurrection.

Jesus took time off to rest. In His rest, He became aware of the temptations He faced. Jesus called out the real enemy during His forty-day fast in the desert. He embraced God's will for His life on earth during these times.

“Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him.” - Luke 6:12-13