"Good Friday is the condition of Easter Sunday. The Crown of Thorns is the condition of the halo of light. The scourged body is the condition of the glorified body. You die with him, you rise with him. In other words, he conquered pain by using it as a means of attaining glory." (Ven. Fulton Sheen)
God's love for us is most understood by the Cross. This radical gesture of self denial and complete sacrifice is one that we can only begin to partially understand. These words from Sheen are those in which we relate to by the very fact that we have been born within a time that allows us to know the joy of Easter Morning and the attainment of glory.
Today we are all called to remember and acknowledge the unimaginable sight, sounds, and emotions that plagued those who witnessed what our Lord endured. We are called to stand at the foot of the Cross.
The Crucifixion of Jesus is very difficult and painful for us to fathom. The sufferings He experienced are those beyond our own human understanding. There is a part of us that wishes to look away from this event as we battle to accept and fully understand what this Cross demands of us in our lives. Rather than looking at the demands, we must also recognize why He took the Cross to begin with and what it means for each of us.
Through the Cross we come to know love; God's love for each of us despite us. We come to recognize this unconditional love. We see that through the Cross Jesus truly did hope to free those who loved him, those who judged him, and those who did not know him.
As we continue to journey toward Easter Sunday may we pause and take the time to reflect upon what this event would have been like for Christ's first followers. Place yourself there beside Our Lady, and beside our Lord. (C.C.)
"Jesus, remember me when you come into Kingdom"(Luke 24:32)
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