Leaving While Others Remain

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”John 14:18

You gather your things. You say what can be said. Then you walk back through the door that opens for you.

Behind you the machines keep going. The waiting keeps going. The ordinary night of the place keeps going.

Jesus left many rooms while other people stayed. He also knew what it was to be left. He told his friends that he would go, and that they would not be abandoned. His leaving was not the end of his care.

Leaving is part of the work. You cannot remain in every room. You are one person. You have only so much time and so much strength. That is not a failure. It is the truth of a human life.

You do not have to carry guilt for going. You do not have to make the goodbye larger than it needs to be.

At Mass we are sent out at the end. The Lord does not ask us to live the whole of our prayer inside the church. He goes with us, and he also stays with those we cannot take with us.

Walk out quietly. The ones who remain are still held by the same God who sent you in.

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