From the Cross

     Anyone who sits by the bedside with a loved one, who is dying, would not find it difficult to recall the words that were spoken to them. Those words would be etched deeply within their memory and cherished as precious jewels. Each word, each sentence would be recorded and recalled as a gift.

     So too are the words of Christ that were uttered from the cross. They are recorded for us in Holy Scripture and are venerated by Christians throughout the world. They were spoken with great effort as Jesus suffocated on the cross. They should hold a great significance for us because they reveal the love, sacrifice and wisdom of God.

     Let us thoughtfully ponder them on this blessed day, Good Friday.


“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Lk. 23 vs. 34).

     Jesus was the Son of God, who had come into the world to save us from our sins. He was Love Incarnate; yet we nailed Him to a cross. In His dying moments, He offers us forgiveness while He is in indescribable agony! He is telling us that if we realized what we were doing when we sin, we would not do it. We would not want to crucify Him with our sin. He pleads forgiveness from His Father on our behalf.

     How are we in offering forgiveness to those who do us harm? Do we hold back and try to make them pay for it? Do we want to see them suffer and feel the pain that they have inflicted upon us? Or do we let go and like Jesus, realize that they do not know what they are doing to us?

     My Jesus, help me to become like You, merciful and forgiving. Give me the grace to love as You do and forgive me the times when I fail.


“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Lk. 23 vs. 43).

     We do not know much about the “good thief,” except what we read in the Gospel. We do know that he believed that his death was justified, and that he saw Jesus as innocent. We see that he offered Jesus consolation, while others were jeering and tormenting Him. We can see how much his eyes were opened as he suffered on the cross next to Jesus. He recognized Christ’s Kingship and asked that he’d be remembered by Him. What a reward the “good thief” received from Jesus! His past sins were forgotten and he would become a citizen of heaven that very day!

     We too, are given numerous opportunities each day, to soothe the sufferings of Christ. So many in our world forget our dear sweet Jesus and ignore Him. Others, full of good intentions, are just too busy and forget to make the time to dialogue with Him.

     Let us imitate the “good thief,” and offer our love and consolation to Jesus. Let us hold Him in our hearts and minds by speaking little words of love throughout our day. Make the time for a visit with Him, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. Let us thank Him for suffering and dying for us. May we too be welcomed one day, like the good thief, into paradise.


“Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother” (Jn. 19 vs. 26-27).

     In His great agony Jesus was concerned that Mary, His mother, would be cared for after His death. John, the “beloved disciple,” the only apostle who stood by Christ at the cross, was given the great gift of welcoming Mary into his home.

     We too are the “beloved disciple” whom Christ has entrusted with the gift of His mother. Have we welcomed Mary into our heart? Do we love and cherish her as Jesus and John did? Do we run to her in times of need as her little child? Do we listen to her as she instructs us, “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn. 2 vs. 5b).

     If we have not, let us ask Jesus to help us to love and cherish Mary as He did. As we do this, let us spend time thanking Christ for His greatest treasure – the gift of His Mother.


“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mt. 27 vs. 46).

     These words spoken by Our Lord are the beginning of Psalm 22. They are the prayer of a just man who feels alone, and totally forgotten, yet in his forsakenness, he cries out to God! He remembers that the Lord is not far from him and “when he cried out to Him, He heard him.” Psalm 22 ends as a song of praise!

     We have experienced like Christ, times in our lives when we have felt abandoned and alone: Times when we have cried out to God, wondering if He was aware of our dire circumstances. Jesus knew the unfailing love of His Father. Although He felt forsaken, He was aware of God’s faithfulness and reliance in time of distress.

      May we imitate our dear sweet Jesus when we feel forgotten by God and pray all of Psalm 22, knowing that God “will never fail you or forsake you” (Deut. 31 vs. 6).


“I thirst” (Jn. 19 vs. 28).

     Although Jesus was dehydrated from what He had suffered, His words were not spoken to quench His physical thirst. They were to express the great thirst He experiences for souls: a thirst that can only be satiated by extending our love to Him.

     O my dear sweet Jesus! How often we ignore the great thirst You have for our love. You – almighty God – beg for our love! You wait like a beggar, for us to respond with a word or a glance in Your direction. Forgive us, dear God, for being so self-centered and thoughtless. Help us to recognize and cherish the opportunities that lay before us each day to slake Your thirst. “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink’” (Jn. 4 vs. 10). Help us also to quench Your thirst by making prayers and sacrifices for those who reject Your love.


“It is finished” (Jn. 19 vs. 30).

     These are words of victory and not defeat. Jesus has accomplished what He came to do. He has won for us salvation. He has taken upon Himself, all the sins of the world, from the beginning until the end of time. He has been perfect in carrying out His Father’s will.

     We too are called to imitate Jesus, by following the will of God in our lives. It is not difficult when all is going well. It is the times when we suffer and do not understand what and why this is happening in our lives. The times we do not trust and question God as we shake our fist at Him.

     My adorable Jesus, give us the grace to submit to the will of God in our lives: both His ordaining and permissive will. Fill our minds and hearts with the grace of trust, knowing we are loved by the Father. Help us to remember that You have already redeemed each situation in our lives. It is just not apparent at this particular moment.    
                        
     Calvary too looked like defeat!


“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Lk. 23, vs. 46).

     In total and complete trust in God, Jesus commends Himself into the arms of His Father. He offers His life to Him, “and having said this He breathed His last” (Lk. 23 vs. 46b).

     Jesus came to show us the love of the Father. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (Jn. 3 vs. 16-17).

     God is madly in love with us, to the point of offering His Son to suffer and die, so that we may be one with Him in heaven. Do we get that? Do we really realize the love that Papa has for each one of us? Do we see what His love for us cost Him? Do we love Him like Jesus and commit our lives into His hands?

     O Papa! Your heart broke when man walked away from You and sinned. You loved us so wildly that You could not imagine eternal life without us: therefore You sent Jesus to die and expiate our sins. Let us not waste this awesome gift of grace that was merited to us by Your Son. Let us live our lives as Jesus did, loving You and obeying Your commands. May we, like Christ, commit our lives to You in total and complete trust.

     Into Your hands Father, we commend our spirits!