"The Night Before Your Death"

This poem is more appropriate for yesterday's Holy week celebration, but I just ran across it today, and I want to share it, so here it is...

The Night Before Your Death

The night before your death, you gather your friends
You wash their feet and teach them
You tell them to love each other as you have loved them
How have you loved them?
They’ll soon see

You break bread and give thanks
You say this is your body given for them
This is your blood soon to be spilled for them
They recline at your feet and adore your mystery
How little do they know your scorching pain
How little do they understand your suffering

You drink with your betrayer calling him friend
You look at him with sorrowful passion
You would give your life so he would give up the sin
Indeed you would do so even if he doesn’t
If only he trembled at your eyes
If only he felt your persistent compassion
If only he doubted his own judgment
If only he queried your merciful intention

You go to the garden, betrayed and misunderstood
You pray in sweat tears and blood
You agonize in acute prescience
You look into the future
You see souls losing their way
You see despair, distrust, blasphemy and hatred
And all this you see despite your death on the tree
You would die for them
Yet they would still go astray
You tremble and cry
You wonder if this could pass you by
For your pure heart cannot stand
The rejection of heartless faithless humans

But for the sake of your Father
You abandoned yourself to whatever might be
At the hour of death God is your only friend
Your only comfort and peace
How little is your loving heart repaid
How little is your grace received
How lonely is God Almighty
All for the sake of love
For love you would endure anything and everything
For love you would chance rejection
Even if thousands mock you
If one soul loves you back you would on the cross be glad

You look at your friends, who are weary with sleep
You tell them to pray so to be strengthened
How your heart bursts with passion
How you long to share with them your interior action
Yet they are still children
They’ll have a lot to learn
You look at them with the love of a parent
You’ll hide them under your wings
You’ll anticipate them with patience

How much kindness and virtue
How pure your love and sacrifice
Intelligent angels cannot understand
But hearts of humans will be won

The night before your death
Your sorrow is greater than death
The depth of your mercy no one can fathom

Eternal night
The night before the Savior’s death
Eternal agony
The agony that purchased our lives
Eternal moment
The moment you said yes
Eternal drama
The drama that would purify your lambs

The night before your death
We shall always remember
We shall tremble and repent in awe