Friday, April 6, 2012

Good Friday

Reading the Gospel today, I was reminded of a conversation with a few fellow lay apostles after a prayer group meeting years ago.  The conversation turned to praying the Rosary. One of the women said she struggled praying the Sorrowful Mysteries. It was too difficult to get through.  Being fairly new at praying the Rosary back then, I was surprised to hear her say that.  For me, the Sorrowful Mysteries are what I prayed and pray most often.  Living through Christ's Passion delivers me to the foot of the cross every time.  This is where I feel the closest to Him.

The Gospel of the Passion (John 18:1-19:42) is brutal.  And when the end is near, Jesus offers His Life for us . . . the ultimate sacrifice:

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst." There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished." And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.


In the January 2010 Monthly Message, Jesus puts meaning to the word sacrifice: 

“Consider for a moment what would have happened if I had rejected the cross and went on to preach. What would have remained after My life? Consider the absence of the Passion in the faith life that exists today. How can we preach the Gospel if we are unwilling to accept the crosses which inevitably accompany it? No, dearest friends. In order to accurately represent the Kingdom of God to others, we have to be willing to sacrifice, even to death in some cases.”


Now lay apostles we await the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  I pray Lent has been a time of truly understanding what Christ did for you and me so long ago.  I know I will carry the solitude and prayer I practiced this Lent long into the Easter season.  


Thank you, Lord, for sacrificing so much for me and Your patience as I continue to learn how to climb the mountain of holiness toward You. 


God bless,
Bonnie



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