"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 radical love for us is most revealed by the Cross. This gesture of self denial and complete sacrifice is one that we can only begin to partially comprehend. 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 glory of the Resurrection of Christ.
Today we are all called to remember and acknowledge the unimaginable sights, 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 recognize 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 this love and mercy means.
Through the Cross we come to know love; God's love for each of us, despite us. We witness this unconditional love. Jesus truly hoped to free those who loved him, those who judged him, and those who did not know him by taking the Cross.
May 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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