Holy Thursday Lenten Reflection by Anne a lay apostle

Holy Thursday Lenten Reflection

Every lover of Jesus Christ will eventually find his way to the foot of the cross, where he will gaze at the Crucified One and engage in contemplation of those wounds which delivered salvation to humanity. Through contemplation of these wounds, we find our own place in the salvation story. Our sufferings begin to become understandable as also co-redemptive, like Mary’s, and therefore also meaningful and valuable.

Jesus gazes down at us from the throne of His earthly Kingship, that is, His cross, and He offers each follower His gratitude. Just as one views those rare friends who arrive to share suffering, Jesus views us, imperfect but present, lacking in full understanding, yes, but also tremulously interested and engaged in the pain of the Savior we seek to know and emulate.

Jesus saw His mother at the foot of the cross and He saw one of His twelve apostles, John. What qualified John to stand as both sentinel and witness to the most pivotal moment in the history of the redemption of mankind? Love qualified John and ultimately love will qualify each one of us, the apostles for this time. John was known as John the Beloved and it was love that allowed John to be intricately woven into the tapestry of the Passion.

Because John was present to Jesus at the foot of the cross, John witnessed the Savior’s pain as Jesus asked, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” John learned about holiness through this experience of apparent abandonment and John also received His instruction which was “Son, behold thy mother.”

So John, through love, later knew that feelings of utter abandonment were part of the experience of one who is commissioned to spread the Good News. And this made him strong. And John, through love, was able to execute the plan of heaven because he received his instruction directly from Jesus, which was to protect Our Lady and her role in the early Church. And this made John fearless.

In the same way, Jesus wants to teach us about those sufferings which will happen upon us as we make our way through our life’s witness to God. In the New Testament, we find apostles willing and even eager to be crucified like Christ. This cannot be ignored. The model sent to us by the Father, of the Son, provides us with all that we need to successfully navigate the call to holiness that is love’s mandate. To continue reading click here.

 An excerpt taken from  

Whispers from the Cross

  

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