Presence Sets Us Free

The most difficult part of caring is just to be there.  Nothing more. A mother to a toddler or a daughter to a sick mother would be placed in such a situation for long periods of time.  Without love, one would feel locked up in the trappings of their situation; And many have succumb to such feelings that they opted for paid baby-sitters or caregivers.
It is hard, indeed, to live out one's life so closely knitted with someone else.  You only have one person for your audience who probably wouldn't even appreciate your presence. There is the surge of energy that wants more activity. There is the clamor in the world to make a difference.
Yet, it is a part of loving- to give one's presence to another.  To just be there and be a part of a quiet, inactive life. It requires the total acceptance of the situation and without conditions of reciprocity. To find joy in the simplest of moments - of simply being together.
In the most important phases of  Jesus' life, He offered the same invitation for all of us, just to be there with Him. He came as a Child. Mary and Joseph accepted to be there for Him. And on the Cross, the same invitation came and it was Mary and John who stood simply there.  Jesus allowed Himself to be in a passive state of Infancy and a Crucified Messiah.  And after His Resurrection, He became the Living Bread in the Holy Eucharist, often left in the confines of a tabernacle or a monstrance.
Why must it be so? Sometimes, it is in the silence and stillness of life that we truly come to know each other.  It is then when we come to terms with who we are and who the other person is.  When we give our presence to someone else, it isn't just the attractive or diplomatic part of us that comes out.  The imperfections and brokenness in us become present as well.
How difficult it must be for those in the contemplative life or even those laity who spend hours in front of the Holy Sacrament.  To be there for Jesus and with Jesus.  There is the initial challenge of having a presence of mind and heart. And even after that had been overcome, we come face to face with the nakedness of one's soul. 
It would seem that the baby  trapped in its infancy, the sick trapped in his/her sickness, or Jesus trapped in the Holy Host are the ones who are helpless. Yet, it is actually us whose presence is asked that becomes vulnerable. In the process of allowing ourselves to "just be there", we are actually being freed to truly love.  We are becoming whole in the process. And in a seemingly unequal state of being, we are being given more in the process of giving. That is what love is all about- a giving that doesn't diminish but enriches.  In the distressing disguise, we could easily miss out on a great opportunity to learn to love - the gift of presence that sets us free to love and be loved.