| Parish of St. Edward the Confessor Daily Lenten/Easter Reflections |
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Good
Friday
March 21, 2008 By Chris Hannan |
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| Reading 1 |
| Psalm |
| Reading 2 |
| Gospel |
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Text
of Reflection: "The
passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the hope of glory and a
lesson in patience."
St. Augustine, bishop
At first glance, the words ‘hope and glory’ don’t seem to go with the story of the Passion. The story of a horrific, humiliating death, after being abandoned, denied and left in a borrowed tomb doesn’t elicit those feelings. Feelings of dread, pain, loss and sorrow surface. But it is the gift of the Passion that makes the glory of the Resurrection possible. All of us die little deaths as we live with the promise of Resurrection. Each of us learns our lessons in patience differently. It may be in the lingering sickness of a loved one; the unexpected death that seems so unfair; the problems of a troubled child or economic problems that mount despite our best efforts. No one is immune to the human condition. Yet those times in our lives are our opportunities to learn the trust and patience Jesus modeled for us. Personally, patience is not my strong suit. Yet during the past two years I have had to learn to stop trying to control situations that are beyond me. During the lingering illness and death of my mother, the death of my brother recently, family and economic trials I have had to learn difficult lessons in surrendering. I took comfort in the fact Jesus wasn’t dragged kicking and screaming to his death. He surrendered himself to save us. Quite imperfectly, I tried to surrender my will to believe in God’s love. So again this year, as I celebrate the Passion of the Lord, as I feel the dread, pain and sorrow I will try to focus on the gift Jesus freely gave me. And I will remember His command…love as I have loved… and begin again. Without the gift of the Passion, there couldn’t be the glory of the Resurrection. |