Short Reflection: The pain of being forsaken

It is said  friend in need is a friend indeed. Jesus had tried to be a friend of all.
Hanging on that cross that day, except for the women and young John, where were  his friends now.
Abandoned, rejected and forsaken by those he created,
those he loved, walked and ate with,
for whom he worked miracles.
Now he was alone in his suffering,

He knew the apostles were weak and fearful.
He knew the authorities felt threatened and smelled blood - his. 
He knew the crowd were fickle and easily manipulated.
His response: generous acceptance of His Father's will, and generous forgiveness for his fearful friends.
                                                       ‘Forgive then father, they know not what they are doing.’

 Jesus was setting a standard here. This is not something that comes naturally or easy. Sometimes we can be so hurt that we need a lot of time, support, counselling, letting go etc. before we can forgive hurts done to us or our children, relatives or friends. The process should never be rushed and skipped over lightly. Deep hurts leave deep wounds, healing for them can be very gradual. Scars may cover wounds quiclky but all the venom has to be drawn away from the wound before we can consider it healed. Rushed, forgiveness may come back later to torment us.

On Good Friday, Jesus felt that pain and set the gold standard for acceptance.

Story: The thief who ‘stole' heaven 

There were three people executed that day on Calvary, Golgotha, the hill of the Skull, the hill of execution.

Dismas, the thief's  hands were roughly spread out on the wood, and held there. He could see the hammer rise and fall, and felt excrucuating pain - pain such as he had never felt before - shot up his arm, into his head, and through his whole body, so that every nerve was screaming. A second nail drove his other arm almost into the wood. A few seconds before, he had been thinking how sad it was that it had come to this, after years of thieving and petty violence. His companion in crime crucified opposite shouted obscenities at the air and cursed everyone else for his bad luck in getting caught.

The man in the middle, Jesus continued praying and preparing for the end. He occasionally spoke a word to those beneath the cross. He seemed to be forgiving those who had crucified him. Dismas found this incredible and , more amazinly he himself found that he could go beyond his own pain too He muttered something to Jesus, the man in the middle, and got this  reply,
                                                           'Today you will be with me in paradise.'

At once his pain seemed to decrease. After a lifetime of sin and shame, Dismas, the thief had finally come to his moment of grace and peace - and it was sweet.

At the very last moment, he stole heaven from the jaws of hell and became the first recorded thief to enter into heaven with his pal, Jesus - opening the way, thank God, for many more!

(John Murray, The Messenger Nov. 2005, www.messenger.ie)

Changing: Joseph Mary Plunkett 1887–1916AD

Joseph Plunkett was an Irish nationalist with the rank of Commander General of the Irish Volunteers.  As a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising he was executed at Kilmainham Jail in Dublin but he was more than a patriotic martyr. He was also a visionary, a poet, a revealer, and our prophet for today. He saw all the things of natural beauty in a deeper supernatural way and reveals them in his poem: 'I see his blood..'

                I see His blood upon the rose, 
                And in the stars the glory of His eyes;
               His body gleams amid eternal snows,
               His tears fall from the skies. 

               I see His face in every flower, 
              The thunder and the singing of the birds
              Are but his voice; and, carven by His power, .
              Rocks are his written words.

              All pathways by His feet are worn,
             His strong heart stirs the everbeating sea;
             His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn;
             His cross is every tree.

A gentle call to action

Good Friday is meant to be a quiet day for reflection on life, on values, on hopes and  faith. Some will spend time thinking and praying about forgiveness for themselves and others.

There will be those people you might need to forgive or from whom you might need to ask for forgiveness, Good Friday is a good day for that.

Some will spend the day in prayer, others in quiet walks and meeting with friends and family.

Others will be cuting back on the TV, IT games, music, noise and excitement or lowering the volume on the radio.

The church has developed a special liturgy for today ending with the veneration of the cross. Many like to 'do' the stations in a church or some sacred space.

In the Phoenix Park, Dublin Archbishop Dermuid. Martin is leading a two hour stations walk today beginning at 12.00noon.

Of course many will be heading off to football matches, cricket, other sports events, or beginning the Easter camping holiday weekend. Enjoy  but do give a few moments to the religious reason for the day. Good Friday is 'good', not because it a day off for many but because it is the day that God totally revealed His hand, He loves us this much.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Father and Mother of us all,
by shedding his blood for us,
your Son, our brother  Jesus
saved us from eternal death,
through his suffering and death
and he gave us a sure hope of resurrection.

Thank you, Lord. again. Amen.

Prayer image of the Day

"He learned to obey through suffering
and became for all who obey him the source of eternal life".
...Hebrews 4:14f

How great thou art

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.  

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
             .....Carl G. Boberg and R.J. Hughes