End of the Games

September 9th

France

And now?

“And I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28.20b)

The games are over, the flame has left our land. But if that’s true for the Olympics, it’s not so for ours.

Nonetheless, after an intense time, intense weeks with all the prayer and events organized around the Games, perhaps we can feel the after-effects, the lack, a little like baby blues?

And this must have been the case for the disciples, the men and women who had lived with Jesus for 3 years. They had eaten with him, listened to him, seen his miracles and even participated in them. They too, like the flame, had traveled the length and breadth of the land following him. After the disaster of the death of their master and friend, there was the resurrection, so “of course everything will go back to the way it was”. And yet, paradoxically, just before he is taken from their eyes and hands, when he sends them out to make disciples, he promises to be with them every day until the end of the world.

It’s as if this presence of Jesus, even if not visible, is somehow going to be even more permanent. And this is made possible by the Holy Spirit he had promised. He had to go away,” he said, “so that this new Paraclete could make his home in the depths of the world.

It’s as if this presence of Jesus, even if not visible, was somehow going to be even more permanent. And this is made possible by the Holy Spirit he had promised. He had to go away,” he said, “so that this new Paraclete could make his dwelling in the depths of each one of us, affirming also that we would have our dwelling in Him. And this opens up new horizons.

In the dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus spoke of the wind that blows where it wills, and of which we know neither where it comes from nor where it goes (John 3:8). If we’re asked who it is, our spontaneous answer is the Holy Spirit. But the end of the verse says more than that: “So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Jesus is talking about us!

So the adventure is not over. We are bearers of the Good News, and we can continue to embody it in deed and word under the guidance of the One who is with us and even within us every day.

Let’s continue to let Him inspire us, so that we can be taken wherever He wants us to go. We’ll still have our high points, but more often than not we’ll be in the ordinary, everyday places where we can love our neighbor. Let’s be attentive to this inner host, to this Spirit who speaks sometimes spectacularly, sometimes in a soft, gentle whisper (1 Kings 19).

Like pollen carried by the wind that goes on to sow the seeds around it, we can continue to live in and through this Breath. 

So to the “What now?”, Jesus answers “Me, every day with you!”

Jesus holds the road yesterday, today and always!

Specific prayer: Lord, grant us the grace to let your Spirit carry us, send us, animate us wherever you wish, whether in the mundane of our usual surroundings, or in places and situations we can’t even imagine. Continue to inspire our prayer for our cities, our country and the world! May we radiate everywhere of you who are with us every day.

Personal introduction : Anne Scweitzer is permanent member of the Agapé France mission. She co-chaired the Protestant chaplaincy at the Paris Games for the FPF. With her husband, Louis, and a team, she runs spiritual accompaniment training courses with Compagnons de Route. They live in Villeurbanne, but she likes to recharge her batteries in the Alps when they can get away.