“Your optimism will be a necessary consequence of your faith.” (Saint Josemaría, “The Way” at 378).
There is a certain richness of faith that comes with the optimism that FAITH brings. And I have been reflecting on that today – on Holy Thursday because on this night, twenty centuries ago, God the Son prepared for His death.
And I have been reflecting on that preparation…
“Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved His own in the world and He loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand Him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into His power and that He had come from God and was returning to God, He rose from supper and took off His outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around His waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, ‘Master, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered and said to Him, ‘What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.’ Peter said to Him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with Me.’ Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.’ For He knew who would betray Him; for this reason, He said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’ So when He had washed their feet and put His garments back on and reclined at table again, He said to them, ‘Do you realise what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.’” (John 13:1-15).
And as I focused on the text of the Gospel, I focused most importantly on what Christ did with His last few hours of life and freedom.
For during those last few hours, Christ ate food with His disciples. He served them. He taught them. And He loved them – even He who was not “clean”…
He did not take time out to reconnect with old friends. He did not spend the evening with His Blessed Mother thanking her for her ongoing discipleship, even though He loved her so dearly. He did not cry and lament the brevity of His earthly life. He did not even complain that the men who had been His dearest friends and disciples would desert Him, He merely made the observation.
No. On the night before He died, my Beloved did none of these things. Instead, He planned for the future... And, He planned for a future that would exist when He was not physically present on the earth.
His optimism in planning for such a future was a necessary consequence of His faith… And Saint Josemaría wrote in “The Way” at 378, “Don't be a pessimist. Don’t you realise that all that happens or can happen is for the best? – Your optimism will be a necessary consequence of your faith.”
You see, Christ knew that He was doing the work of the Father, and knowing this, He could experience JOY even despite the terrible anguish of sin that He chose to bear…
And how did my Beloved express that optimism and that joy on this night, twenty centuries ago? Well, on the night before He died, my Beloved washed feet…
Because He knew there was nothing else that He needed to do to complete the Father’s Will.
And THAT is optimism… And THAT is what I beg for the Grace to be able to imitate…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.