Good Friday: Jesus is rejected, beaten, mocked, whipped, scourged. After carrying a heavy cross, nails pierce His hands and His feet. There He hangs, on the cross, suffering for you, and me; suffering for us & all humanity.

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”  (Luke 23:34)

Easter is coming, but the Suffering Christ is there for us, with us, in our suffering. Can we draw closer to the Cross?

To stand… like Mary.

“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother…” (John 19:25)

At the foot of the Cross, Mary must have wondered amidst flashbacks of angels, shepherds, wise men, kingly gifts, miracles of water into wine. How came her son, the Messiah, to hang like a common criminal on a cross?

Yet, in sorrow Mary stood. With the faith of her ‘yes’ to the angel, to God, risking all, 33 years later she stands at the foot of the Cross. Confused and bewildered? Most likely, yet in faith she stood.

Maybe our suffering is so great it’s hard to move forward; maybe it’s crushing our spirits and our will to do. Perhaps we’ve stumbled, taken a tumble, and it’s hard to stand after a fall.

But, look at Christ on the Cross, suffering. He’s there for me, and for you. Do we have  faith, like Mary, to stand? Even if we don’t fully understand?

“Failure is painful, but without pain there is no living in love. So, go through the arches of Christ’s pain and enter into the joy of His heart. Unite yourself with Him and his passion and keep on going.”  Catherine Doherty

grace, peace & Good Friday blues

Virginia

Here’s something to lift Good Friday blues from one of my favorite singers, Sarah Hart. Be blessed to give it a listen and find “Joy in These Bones.”