Holy Thursday retreat: The arrest of Jesus
Read the following Scriptural passage.
If it helps, play this instrumental music in the background.
(If you can't access this embedded Scribd document, you can also click this link or open your Bible to John 18: 2-12.)
When Simon Peter had drawn his sword,
our Lord immediately asked him to put it away.
It is the time not so much for fighting,
but for disarmament.
Jesus had done a similar thing in an earlier incident
when a woman caught in adultery was dragged before him,
and a bloodthirsty crowd, rocks and stones in hand,
were eager to go for the kill.
But in his quiet but eloquent way,
our Lord convinced them
to "drop the stone."
It is something that Jesus himself does
starting with Holy Thursday.
On Holy Thursday,
our Lord begins his act of self-disarmament,
culminating on the cross.
Crown of thorns, cross, and nail image via Shutterstock.
