Saturday, March 31, 2018


Saturday, the Sixth Week of Lent
Holy Saturday

    In our lives today we become confused about many things.  Confusion invades all areas of our life including our faith life.  How often we hear someone question how a loving God could allow evil things to happen in our world.  We expect that He should not allow evil at all, but especially those who are His followers and who worship Him should be spared.

   The apostles were no different.  At the death of Jesus they were confused.  How could He have died; He is the Messiah?  How could He promise eternal life but lose His own life on the cross?  The words of the chief priests were most likely on the mind of the apostles as well, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.  So he is the king of Israel!  Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.” (Matt 27: 42)

   The twelve had lived with Jesus for over three years.  They had witnessed the miracles He had performed.  The feeding of the five thousand; the sick and lame He had cured; the lepers he had cleansed; the blind who received their sight.  They were there when He raised Lazarus from the dead.  How could He now be dead?

   They had placed their hope and faith in the eternal life Jesus had promised to those who would believe.  They did not yet understand the teaching that believing must also include picking up the cross and carrying it.  Perhaps even giving up your life for your faith.  They were expecting immediate fulfillment of all He had promised.  Instead they had witnessed His death.  How could the Messiah possibly be dead and in the tomb?

   In the months and years to come they would begin to understand, but on that sorrowful day I’m sure their belief was shaken to the core.  On that day all they had hoped for seemed to have disappeared.  Huddled together in the upper room, their faith was in question.  They feared for their own lives.  If Jesus could be arrested and killed they could be as well.  Was this the end of what they had believed was the beginning?

   When bad things happen we sometimes question our faith just as did the apostles.  Satan uses this questioning to weaken us and even to turn us from God.  No one can explain why these things happen, but we must continue to trust and believe.  Just as the Holy Spirit came to strengthen and embolden the faith of the apostles, He will come to strengthen us and help us cope with the hardships that are a part of life in a fallen, sinful world.

   Tomorrow we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.  Though the apostles were confused and surely questioned their faith, Jesus renewed that faith by His rising from the dead.  Let us always turn to the promise of His resurrection whenever we are confused and our faith is faltering or in question.

Friday, March 30, 2018


Friday, the Sixth Week of Lent
Good Friday

   Each year at Passover the chosen people of God, the Jewish, remember their freedom from slavery to the Egyptians.  They celebrate the fact that God had seen their suffering and sent Moses to free them.  It is good that they continue to thank God for their freedom from slavery.

   Each year at Easter Christians remember their freedom from the slavery of sin and death.  We celebrate the fact that God sent His only Son to pay the price for our sins and gave us the opportunity for salvation.  It is good that we continue to thank God for our freedom from slavery.

   The Jews in Egypt selected an unblemished lamb and sacrificed it as directed by God through Moses.  They took the blood of the lamb and sprinkled it on the doorposts and lintels of their homes.  When the angel of death swept through Egypt the homes marked by the blood would be passed over.

   Christians recognize Jesus as the unblemished lamb sent from God for our salvation.  He sprinkled blood and water from the cross when His heart was pierced by the centurion’s spear.  The blood and water from His side established the Church on earth.  The water is the water of Baptism which removes the stain of original sin.  The blood is the blood of sacrifice given for our salvation.  Through these two our original and personal sins are forgiven and we are blessed with the opportunity for eternal life with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

   If we do nothing else during Lent, we must recognize again the great love and mercy shown us through His suffering, death and resurrection.  We must go to Him in sorrow for our failings and thanksgiving for His incredible gift of salvation.
 

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Thursday, the Sixth Week of Lent
Holy Thursday

   Throughout Lent we’ve been trying to look deep into ourselves to determine where we are in our faith life.  With just today, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday remaining we are near the end of our Lenten journey.  How have we done?  Did we improve our relationship with God?  Did we discover weaknesses in our faith life that we can continue to work on throughout the year?  What strengths did we find within ourselves that we can grow and develop?  Even though Lent is about over we must never lessen our desire to strengthen our faith and improve our relationship with God.

   Did the disciples realize the importance of this last meal with Jesus?  They had traveled with Him for three years.  They had been His evangelists to the cities of Judea.  They had cured people and had driven out demons.  All in Jesus’ name.  Still, when reading John’s account of the Last Supper it seems they still didn’t understand.

   Jesus taught many things at the Last Supper on Holy Thursday.  I have chosen to focus on the lesson of humility because I believe that without humility we can never truly follow our Lord.  Our Christianity cannot be shown through pride, self-importance or a holy than thou attitude.  It must come from the recognition that we are blessed by a God who loves us even in our sinfulness.

    “You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master’, and rightly so for indeed I am.  If I therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.  I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (John 13: 13-15).  How confused they must have been when Jesus got up from table, removed His outer garment and began to wash and dry their feet.  Peter, always the outspoken one, initially objected and had to be convinced by our Lord.  I’m sure the others were just as unsure.  Can you imagine your own reaction if Jesus came and began washing your feet?

   At Holy Thursday Mass this evening the Priest at our Church will wash the feet of twelve parishioners as a reenactment of this event.  This will occur in Catholic Churches all over the world to remind us of the humility Jesus taught.  At the Vatican’s Holy Thursday service today Pope Francis washed the feet of inmates at Regina Coeli prison.

   If we are to live the Christian life it must be one of humility.  Though we are unworthy we are blessed with God’s love and grace in so many ways.  In humble service to Him we must serve others with the same love and generosity we have received.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018


Wednesday, the Sixth Week of Lent

    “I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.  This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (John 13: 34-35).

   Jesus did many things during His ministry on earth.  He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cured the lepers and raised some from death to live.  When we begin to better understand His teachings we realize that all of these miracles are signs of His love.  Yes, they were foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament and gave proof to the fact that He is the Messiah, but love is the source of these actions.

   Just as He performed these miracles during His ministry He continues to perform both physical and spiritual miracles every day for all who seek Him.  It is out of His love that these things are done.  If we wish to follow Him we must strive to emulate His love toward others just as He instructed the disciples to love one another.  We have no claim to His love yet it is given out of His mercy.  In the same way we must freely give our love to others.  Even those we feel do not deserve it.

   At the last supper Jesus told His disciples, “Where I am going you know the way.’  Thomas said to him, ‘Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?’  Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14: 4-6).  They would come to understand that His way is the way of love.  The Holy Spirit would instruct them and teach them of this love.

   Jesus defines love in its’ highest form.   Everything He did and continues to do is out of love for us.  If we practice love of God and love of all of God’s children we are close to heaven.  This is the kind of love Jesus wants us to give others.  If we can do that, we will rest with Him in eternal life.

   A better understanding of the remarkable love of our Lord is one of the greatest lessons we can learn through our Lenten observance.  Love one another as He has loved us.  It is the most perfect way to follow our Lord.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018


Tuesday, the Sixth Week of Lent

   Jesus was dining with friends in Bethany.  Among those present were Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  Martha and Mary were also there.  During dinner Mary came to Jesus with a jar of aromatic nard, an expensive perfumed oil, and poured it on His feet, drying them with her hair.

   Some of His disciples asked why He allowed such a waste.  The oil could have been sold and food bought for the poor.  Among those protesting was Judas Iscariot, Jesus’ betrayer.  Rather than stop Mary Jesus explained that she was anointing Him for His upcoming burial.

   This was when Judas made the decision to betray Jesus.  “Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’  They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.” (Matthew 26: 14-16).

   Why would Judas do such a thing?  Was it because Jesus allowed Mary to anoint Him with expensive oil?  Was he not convinced that Jesus was the Messiah?  We may never know what his reasoning was.  According to prophesy one of the twelve would betray Jesus.  Some say because of the prophesy, Judas had no choice.

   Jesus did not remove Judas from the twelve even though He knew that he would betray Him.  Why not?  Certainly in today’s world Judas would have been thrown out and possibly killed for his betrayal.  Why did Jesus allow him to continue to be among them?  Did He want to give Judas the chance to come to Him and confess his sin?  Would He have forgiven him if had?

   Jesus teaches that we are to love our neighbor, even our enemies.  To have done less for Judas would have betrayed His own teaching.  I am absolutely convinced that had Judas asked Jesus would have forgiven Him just as he forgives us our sins.

    “There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more than He already does.  And there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any less.”   This has been said in many ways by many people over the years but it is a truth of faith.  The love of God is unlimited and even the betrayal of His Son does not change that.  Had Judas asked forgiveness rather than killing himself he would be sharing paradise with our Lord just as surely as the thief on the cross.  Now is the time to go to God and beg forgiveness for the times we have betrayed Jesus in what we've done or what we haven't done.

Monday, March 26, 2018


Monday, the Sixth Week of Lent

   We are in Holy Week; the final week of Lent.  This is the time to renew and heighten whatever devotions we have practiced during Lent in preparation for the greatest gift ever given.  This week we look forward to a great contradiction.  We sorrow for our Lord’s crucifixion on the cross but look forward with joy to His glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday.  From the greatest evil ever committed comes the greatest gift ever bestowed.

   In a sermon he gave St. Augustine said, “Accordingly he effected a wonderful exchange with us, through mutual sharing:  we gave him the power to die, he will give us the power to live.”  Consider the full impact of this exchange.

   As God, Jesus could not die.  Just as God, the Farther and God, the Holy Spirit are eternal, so too is God, the Son.  Yet He desired to pay the price for our sins.  A price which required not only death, but the death of one who was sinless.  In order to pay that debt Jesus gave up His divinity for a time in order to become one with us.  By accepting birth as a human, Jesus accepted death as a human.  Not only death but all the pain, challenges and temptations experienced by humanity.

   By sharing our mortal life and death with us, Jesus chose to share His divinity with us.  He suffered death as a man in order to give us life eternal.  What a magnificent trade.  In exchange for death we received a share in the divinity of Christ!

   Especially this week we need to think of the suffering that we endure from time to time.  The sickness, the heartache, the pain and death which comes to all men.  Then we need to consider what great love God has for us that would cause Him to give us Jesus not only to suffer those things with us, but to give us eternal life in the process.

   Nothing we suffer can compare with the gift given us by Jesus.  While always sorrowing for His death, we look forward to the ultimate gift of salvation and life eternal He gave through His life, death and resurrection.

Sunday, March 25, 2018


Sunday, the Sixth Week of Lent
Palm Sunday

   “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, ‘Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”. (John 12: 17)

   The people lined the way, welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem.  They placed palms on the path before Him, singing praise to Him.  By Friday morning some of them would be in the crowd at Pilate’s home calling for His crucifixion.

   I’ve wondered how so many who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem could so quickly turn on Him and demand His crucifixion.  What changed their mind?  How could people who were so obviously followers of Christ so quickly join those who wanted Him dead?  How could their faith be so weak?

   If we consider our society today we can see that we also suffer from a weakness of faith.  How many of us sing Hosanna on Sunday but never at all during the week?  Once we have fulfilled our obligation to keep Holy the Sabbath we live the rest of our week as if Sunday were the only day that God’s commandments are to be kept.  We don’t keep the whole Sabbath holy, just the hour or so we spend at Church.  Some don’t even wait for the service to be over, they slip out early to get a head start on the rest of the day.  We can’t even get out of the Church parking lot without cutting off fellow Christians in our rush to get on with the day.

   In many ways we betray Christ just as those who welcomed Him on Sunday and condemned Him on Friday.  We say we believe but our lives don’t always show it.  We are far too lukewarm in our faith, allowing others to sway us in our convictions.  We don’t have the courage to stand for what we know to be right and condemn what we know to be wrong.  We find it easy to fault those Jews who demanded the crucifixion of our Lord but would we have had the courage to resist those who wanted Him dead?

   Today and every day let us join in the chorus, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Saturday, March 24, 2018


Saturday, the Fifth Week of Lent

   Without love I think life would be unbearable.  I believe that we literally must have love to survive.  However, we also cheapen love.  We not only say that we love God and our families we also say that we love ice cream or steak.  We attach the word love to so many things that it loses it’s true meaning.  Things we like become things we love in our eyes.  We need to differentiate between what we love and what we like.  Otherwise love loses its’ impact and importance in our life.

   Part of the problem is that the English language doesn’t have words to express the various types of love.  We are pretty much stuck with either like or love.  Of course we can like something in different degrees but that still doesn’t help us when it comes to expressing love in the way God loves us or in the way we are to love God and neighbor.

   The love we need to foster is what the Greeks call agape or selfless love.  This is the love of which Jesus spoke, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15: 13).  Would you lay down your life another?  Your spouse or children?  It’s not uncommon for those in battle to lay down their life for those with whom they serve.  However, I think there are very few circumstances in which we would choose to die for someone else.

   Certainly you would not lay down your life for a bowl of your favorite ice cream or a thick juicy steak.  This is my point about the misuse of the word love in the English language.  We have watered down its’ meaning to the point that it no longer has the importance or commitment that true love should have.

   God’s love for us in unlike any other love.  It is eternal, unconditional, perfect in every way.  There is no end to it and never any lessening of it.  Even those who choose to ignore God are still loved by Him. There will come a day when this world ends.  The water will stop flowing in the rivers, the winds will stop blowing, and the world as we know will cease to exist.  Still, God’s love will be with us in strength and perfection.

   Regardless of our current circumstances or what may come in the future the one thing, the only thing, we can truly depend upon is God’s love for us.  Even though our love is not perfect God asks to love Him as He loves us; endlessly and fully.  During these last few days of Lent let’s strive to better understand what real love is and return to God the absolute best of our love.  The kind of love that would cause us to lay down our life for Him as Jesus laid down His life for us. 

Friday, March 23, 2018


Friday, the Fifth Week of Lent

   We live in a quick-fix society.  We want things done right now.  Delays are considered failures.  This attitude can be a hinderance to obtaining anything of real value.  Many things in life can’t be fixed quickly; they require thought and planning.  Relationships can’t be established, maintained, or fixed quickly.  They require time and personal involvement.  This is true whether the relationship is with God or family and friends.

   In recent years we’ve seen the explosion of smart phones and tablets.  You can make calls, send messages, check email, even watch movies and live sports right in the palm of your hand.  While this is a great benefit in many ways it can also hamper our personal relationship with others.

   Look around the next time you are in a restaurant and you will easily see how this phenomenon has virtually taken over our lives.  You may see a husband and wife with maybe a couple of children sitting in a booth waiting for their meal.  A perfect opportunity to share the day’s experiences and interact as a family.  Sadly, it’s just as likely that they are all involved with their smart phone or tablet and paying no attention at all to the most important people in their lives.  Some things can’t be done via email or text, they take actual person to person experiences.  Love is one of those things.  Whether it be love of each other or love of God an email or text won’t suffice.

   Could God have offered salvation to us via Facebook or email?  I suppose it’s possible, after all He is God.  But doesn’t that sound absolutely absurd?  It does to me.  Yet these are the ways we relate to others these days.  How many times have you exchanged texts or emails to tell someone you love them?  Wouldn’t it easier and certainly more personal to at least call and speak to them?  How many times have you offered condolences or prayers via a text?  Wouldn’t a quick visit or even a phone call be much more comforting?

   I fear that we are destroying our ability to personally relate to each other.  We do it less and less these days.  Those skills that we don’t practice often fade away entirely.  Imagine a society where there is no personal interaction, only digital communication with others.  How long do you think that society can last?

   During Lent we strive to improve our relationship with our God.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit don’t have WIFI.  They don’t have the latest smart phone and Siri can’t contact them for you.  To think of talking with God electronically seems a bit ridiculous doesn’t it?  If we need to have a deeply personal relationship with our Lord we have to take the time to get involved with Him and His plan for us.  Maybe we should also put our phones and tablets aside more often to better our relationships with our earthly loved ones as well.  Just a thought. 

Thursday, March 22, 2018


Thursday, the Fifth Week of Lent

   What is a saint?  Is a saint born or does one become a saint?  Can I be a saint?  These are questions we need to consider in our faith journey.  If we don’t understand sainthood we can never truly strive to become one.  And yes, we can become one.  In fact, that is God’s will for us.

   A saint is one who leads a life in union with God through the grace of Christ and has received eternal life.  Saints are in the presence of God in Heaven.

   Some saints have shown their spirituality and faith from a very early age, such as St. Faustina and others.  Some have become saints after many years of a very sinful life.  This is a fact that I take comfort in.  Even though we have lived an unsaintly life, we can turn to God, reform our life and become a saint.

   I look to Saint Augustine as an example of one who lived sinfully but became a saint.  St. Augustine lived a life of debauchery before his conversion.  He had lovers, an illegitimate son and was a heretic in the Manichean heresy.  However, St. Ambrose convinced Augustine of the truth of the Church and the error of his ways.  Augustine went on to become one the greatest of all saints and is honored as one of only thirty-six Doctors of the Church.

   Reading St. Augustine’s autobiography, “Confessions”, is a challenge but one well worth taking.  In it you will find the confessions of a man who very obviously recognized his failings prior to his conversion.  Augustine writes of praying to God for conversion but in his own time rather than God’s. “Oh Lord, give me chastity, but do not give it yet.”  Again, he prayed, “Oh Lord, help me to be pure, but not yet.

   After his conversion Augustine realized God’s desire for us.  “You made us for yourself O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

   God wants us to be saints as well.  He wants us to realize that we will never be truly at peace until we rest in Him.  We are all destined for sainthood if we will only allow Him to work His will in us.  It is a great and everlasting tragedy if we refuse to accept God’s desire for our sainthood.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018


Wednesday, the Fifth Week of Lent

   Do we sometimes try to interpret what Jesus said in order to satisfy what we wish he had said?  For instance Jesus very clearly told us that marriage is a life-long commitment.  Yet today over fifty percent of marriages end in divorce.  We make many excuses for this but the reality is we are ignoring Jesus’ teaching.

   Jesus told us that we are not to kill.  Yet we kill our babies in the womb through abortion.  More and more we kill our elderly through so-called assisted suicide which is just a polite way of saying euthanasia.  We also kill those we convict of certain crimes.  There is a lot of disagreement about the death penalty and many think it is a legitimate course.  I believe it is an act of vengeance and only God has the right to exact vengeance.

   Jesus told us that the first and most important commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul.  How many of us can truly say we give our all to the Lord?  Many seem to think that an hour or so on Sunday is all that is required.  We can’t you maintain a loving relationship with a spouse by only paying attention to them for only a couple of hours once a week.  Neither can we maintain a relationship with God in that manner.

   Do we love our neighbor as ourselves?  Maybe the right question is how do we love our selves?  We all do things that we shouldn’t, we all commit sins.  Do we then hate ourselves?  How do we deal with the wrongs we do?  If we truly love ourselves we will go to God for forgiveness and accept that He has forgiven us.  Should we do less for our neighbor.  Imagine if you asked God to forgive your sins and He refused.  Isn’t that what we do when we refuse to forgive others?

   How many Catholics deny that the Eucharist is truly the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ?  Jesus told us very clearly that He is the bread of life and unless we eat His body and drink His blood we do not have life within us (see John, chapter six). We believe that Jesus changed water to wine, raised Lazarus from the dead, healed the blind and fed thousands with a few fish and loaves.  Yet some refuse to believe He can miraculously give us His Glorified Body and Blood through the Eucharist.

   There are many more of His teachings that we tend to redefine more to our liking as well.  This Lent maybe we need to reflect on what Jesus actually said rather than what we would have preferred that he said.  We believe in Jesus, shouldn’t we also believe Him in His teachings?

Tuesday, March 20, 2018


Tuesday, the Fifth Week of Lent

   We are now thirty days into Lent.  Maybe it’s time for us to look back and see how we’ve done so far. Have we kept our chosen Lenten sacrifice or have we cheated?  Have we taken the time to really evaluate our faith life or just continued as usual?  What have done to improve our prayer life?

   Over the years I’ve done as probably most of us have.  Sometimes I’ve been too aggressive in what I gave up for Lent; and failed.  Other times I’ve been too easy on myself and found that I felt a bit guilty for not doing more.  I’m ashamed to say that there have also been years when I did virtually nothing for Lent.  I suspect I’m not the only one who has gone through these ups and downs over the years.

   Recently I’ve found that giving up something material, such as sweets or bread or whatever, isn’t nearly as meaningful as giving of myself.  Going to daily Mass more often seems to be a better choice than giving up coffee.  Finding a worthy charity to support during Lent suits me better than not having that piece of pie.

   Of course Lent is a very personal experience.  So what I find appropriate may not suit you at all.  For a chocoholic abstaining from chocolate for Lent can be a very substantial sacrifice.  For others it may be the easy way out.  Each of us should do what is most meaningful for us.

   We must also remember that we are not perfect; we are fallen creatures.  So we are very likely to be less faithful than we should with our Lenten observance.  But we must also remember that Jesus recognizes our struggles.  He will forgive our failings and strengthen us in our continued efforts.

   So as we enter the last ten days of Lent let’s refocus our efforts.  Get back to our chosen sacrifice or, if that one was an overreach, choose another.  There is still time to improve our prayer life and strengthen our relationship with God.

   I believe God is pleased by our efforts for self-improvement in our spiritual life and welcomes the opportunity to help us in those efforts.  We have a loving, merciful God to turn to in our struggles.  He will help if we only ask.

Monday, March 19, 2018


Monday, the Fifth Week of Lent

   Today is the Solemnity of St. Joseph.  Little is known of Joseph.  There are no words of his in scripture.  We do know that he was of David’s line and that he was the husband of the Blessed Mother and foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
   He was an honorable caring man.  When he discovered Mary was pregnant he would have assumed that she had committed adultery.  Betrothal at that time was far more that we consider it today.  Once betrothed both the man and woman were obligated to each other as if they were married.  Under Jewish law he could have publicly charged Mary as an adulterer.  However, he had decided to send her away quietly rather than expose her to the law.  This to me speaks of his love and concern for her even when he thought she had been unfaithful.

   Once the angel appeared to him and explained how and why Mary was expecting a child Joseph took her as his wife.  This decision put both of them at risk of being totally ostracized by their friends and family.  He put these concerns aside and fulfilled his role in God’s plan.

    When Jesus was born, he took Him as his son, naming Him Jesus as the angel had directed.  He took Him and Mary to Egypt to protect them from Herod’s attempt to kill Jesus by ordering the slaughter of all baby boys in Bethlehem.  Once Herod died he took his family back to Nazareth.  There they lived as a family while Jesus grew.  There he taught Jesus to be a carpenter and how to be a man.

   What does Joseph teach us?  He teaches us mercy; he could have charged the Blessed Mother with adultery and had her stoned; but he didn’t.  He could have abandoned her and not assumed fatherhood of our Lord; but he didn’t.  He accepted his role as the foster father of Jesus and raised Him as his son.  Joseph teaches us what it is to be an adoptive parent; to accept another’s child as your own.  Anyone who has adopted can look to him as the perfect model.

   God chooses to accept us as His adoptive children.  Jesus takes us as His adoptive brothers and sisters.  The Blessed Mother accepts us her adoptive children through the Church.  All love us perfectly and completely. This is the love Jesus came to teach us; unreserved, unlimited and eternal love.  He asks the same from us, both for Him and for all of His brothers and sisters in faith.  Joseph gave us the example; it is ours to follow.

Sunday, March 18, 2018


Sunday, the Fifth Week of Lent

   During this season we reflect on the physical suffering our sins caused Jesus.  But how many of us consider the emotional suffering He endured?  We rightfully contemplate His scourging, the carrying of the cross and His crucifixion.  And so we should.  However, we need to also consider the emotional suffering He endured. 

   When one of our family suffers we also suffer in many ways.  Anyone who has experienced a serious illness in their family can relate to the fact that physical suffering to one of our loved ones causes us to suffer emotionally.  We would do most anything to help our spouse, son or daughter feel better; up to and including accepting their pain in order to relieve them.  The fact that we can’t help as we wish causes us great emotional suffering.

   The loss of a spouse or a child is an emotional pain so intense that it may seem to be physical.  In fact there is perhaps no physical pain which can cause the suffering one feels in such a situation.  We have all experienced emotional pain; some much greater than others.  Our friends and family many times share our suffering as well.  This is the same emotional pain suffered by our Lord.

   As true man Jesus shared the emotional suffering we all encounter.  He knew the loss of His foster father, Joseph.  He shared the pain of Martha and Mary over the death of Lazarus.  “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35).  Just as we weep at the loss of a dear friend or family member, Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus.  He knew the rejection of those He had come to save.  He knew betrayal at the hands of Judas.  He suffered the desertion of His disciples when He was arrested.

   He shared in our sufferings; should we not share in His?  When we suffer in this life we need to remember that Jesus told us this would happen.  If we are to follow Him we must pick up our cross, whatever it may be, and carry it.  People always ask why God allows suffering.  That is the wrong question.  The question is why do we not accept our suffering as Jesus accepted His?  I don't believe we will have the answer in this life but only in the next.  Through joining our suffering with that of our Lord perhaps we can begin to understand our suffering. 

Saturday, March 17, 2018


Saturday, the Fourth Week of Lent
Fourteenth Station of the Cross – Jesus is laid in the tomb

   The laying of Jesus in His tomb is the final station of the cross.  The Stations are intended to help us focus on the tremendous sacrifice His gave for us.  We should do our best to relate to His suffering and death in order to better realize that our sins, and the sins of the whole world, caused His suffering.

   Only a pure, perfect sacrifice could be offered as expiation for our sins.  As fallen creatures we are not able to offer such a sacrifice.  We will never be perfect until made so by God’s grace.  We can’t pay the necessary price for our failings.  Only one who is sinless can pay that price.  Jesus, out of pure love for us, became a man so that He could pay it for us.

   Many would include a fifteenth station; Jesus rises from the dead.  They say that we should not end on a sorrowful note but recognize that the tomb was not final.  I understand why some would want to add that fifteenth station, but I do not believe it is appropriate for a couple of reasons.

   First the stations aren’t intended to come to a joyous conclusion.  We desperately need to recognize the pain and agony of our Lord and fully grasp that we caused it.  Some would like to blame it all on the Jewish leaders or Pilate, but our sins were as much as fault as theirs.

   Secondly, if we include Jesus rising from the dead with the stations we are, in my opinion, encroaching on the glorious celebration and joy of Easter.  With Christmas, Easter is one of the two most important days in the life of Christians and the Church.

   Let’s use the stations to come closer to our savior in His final hours and leave our joyful celebration of His resurrection for Easter Sunday.

Friday, March 16, 2018


Friday, the Fourth Week of Lent
Thirteenth Station of the Cross – Jesus’ body is removed from the cross

   Joseph of Arimathea, who was secretly a disciple of Jesus went to Pilate and asked for His body.  It was common that the bodies of those crucified would be left on the cross long after their death.  I suppose the Romans felt it added to the horror if the body remained on the cross.  Thankfully Joseph had the strength to risk exposure of his faith by ensuring this didn’t happen in this case.

   Jesus’ body was removed from the cross and placed in the arms of the Blessed Mother.  Michelangelo depicted this scene in his famous sculpture “The Pieta”.  Imagine the heartache Mary suffered as she held the beaten, bloody body of her Son close to her breast one last time.  Looking closely at the Pieta one can see that the left hand of Mary is not grasping Jesus but is upturned in offering.  Just as she presented Him as an infant at the temple, she again presents Him to us as our Lord and Savior.

   At the Church which I attend the Pieta is replicated in a painting.  In the painting the torn, bloody body of Jesus is more graphically depicted.  Also more evident to me is the anguish on Mary’s face as she holds Him and offers Him to us.  This was the spear that would penetrate her heart foretold by Simeon at Jesus’ presentation in the temple (see Luke 2: 22-32).  Even though Mary knew this was to come, no one can be prepared for such emotional devastation.

   Take some time today to consider this event in Jesus’ passion.  Sit quietly, close your eyes and try to imagine sitting with the Blessed Mother as she cradled Jesus’ body one final time.  Imagine if it were your son or daughter; the pain and agony you would be experiencing.

   Now once again recognize, accept, and seek forgiveness for your own sins which contributed to this moment.

Thursday, March 15, 2018


Thursday, the Fourth Week of Lent
Twelfth Station of the Cross – Jesus dies on the cross

   Death by crucifixion is caused by asphyxiation.  When the body slumps down the diaphragm is constricted making it difficult to breath.  Pushing up to allow a breath meant pulling against the nails through the hands and those driven through the feet.  In many cases the shoulders and elbows became disjointed which left pushing up from the feet as the only option.  At some point there was not enough strength left to push up against the nails again and breathing became impossible.

   It had been three hours since our Lord was nailed to the cross.  During those hours He endured terrible pain.  As bad as the physical pain was perhaps the pain of being deserted by His apostles.  The only one who had stayed the course was John, the beloved disciple.  He stood at the foot of the cross with the Blessed Mother watching His agony.

   At some point during His agony Jesus looked at Mary and John at the foot of the cross and said, “Woman, behold, your son!’  Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!”  (John 19: 27).  By doing so He gave the Blessed Mother to all who believe as their Mother and gave all who believe to Mary as her children.  Mary was present at every moment of Jesus’ life and she is still present at every moment in the life of the Church.

   A darkness fell upon the land for three hours as Jesus hung on the cross.  The last recorded words of Jesus were, “Eli, Eli, la’ma sabach tha’ni?’ that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  (Matt 27:46).  The Jewish leaders present would have recognized that as the first line of Psalm 22 which speaks very clearly of sacrifice of the Lord.

   At the moment of Jesus’ death the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  This was not a curtain as we think of it; it was extremely heavy and led to the Holy of Holy's.  There were earthquakes; tombs opened and many bodies of saints were raised (see Matt 27: 51-53).  I’ve often wondered if perhaps God was considering destroying the world at that moment.  Of all the evil ever done, the crucifixion of our Lord is the greatest.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018


Wednesday, the Fourth Week of Lent
Eleventh Station of the Cross – Jesus is nailed to the cross

   Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall, a poison, before He was nailed to the cross.  This mixture was sometimes given to those being crucified to lessen the pain or speed death.  Jesus refused to accept it.  He was not to die from poison nor was His suffering to be lessened.  He had freely chosen to take our sins upon Himself and would not turn from the pain and death necessary to pay the cost for those sins.

   His arms were outstretched on the cross.  Quite probably the soldiers used a rope tied above His wrist to extend His arms as far as possible, holding them there while the nails were driven through.  Nails at the time of Christ’s crucifixion were not the slim shafts of steel we use today.  The points weren’t nearly as sharp and piercing.  They were typical of the time; simple and crude.  They would have been rough, most likely rusted and more blunt than sharp.

   Were His feet on a block as we see on many crucifixes or nailed to the sides of the cross as is sometimes seen?  Archaeological evidence suggests that His feet would have been nailed to the sides of the cross.  Either way the pain and agony would have been unfathomable.

   Crucifixion was not meant as a quick execution.  It was intended to be slow and extremely painful.  The very definition of cruel and unusual punishment.  The Romans had perfected their methods to ensure that it would be both.  Death often took hours or even days.  Since Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation for the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders asked Pilate that the legs of those still alive be broken to speed their death.  They didn’t want them on the cross for Sabbath.  This to me speaks of the corruption of the Jewish leaders of the time.  They had no issue demanding that a man be crucified but wanted to make sure it didn’t interfere with the Sabbath.

   How often are we concerned with appearances just as the Jewish leaders?  Do we make a show of keeping the Sabbath for others to see, but ignore it in our hearts?  Are we pious only on Sunday, leaving the rest of the week for our earthly desires?  These are questions we must ask ourselves as we contemplate Jesus hanging on the cross for our sake.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018


Tuesday, the Fourth Week of Lent
Tenth Station of the Cross – Jesus is stripped of His garments

   Jesus had survived the journey from Pilate’s home to Golgotha.  During that ordeal His clothing would have adhered to the blood drying on His body.  As the Roman soldiers tore off His clothing they would have also reopened many wounds causing even more pain and suffering to our Lord.

   The Roman crucifixion was not only an extremely slow and painful way of death but a humiliating one as well.  Those being crucified were completely stripped of their clothing.  They were then hung on the cross naked and raised for all to see.

   Before Him was His mother, other women who had followed Him and the apostle John.  In the crowd were the Jewish leaders who had demanded His death.  On the road were those going to and from Jerusalem.  Jesus hung beaten, bloody and naked before them.

   When I think of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross I am first of all saddened.  Why should the Son of God have freely chosen to experience such a death for me?  Then I am amazed that He would freely choose to die in such a manner in order to offer salvation to the world.  The only answer is love; pure, enduring, everlasting love.  Love not only for those who follow Him but for those who have refused.  He died for those who hate Him as well as for those who love Him.  As He hung on the cross He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23: 34)

   When I consider the nakedness of Christ on the cross I think of how we must come before Him when we plead for forgiveness and salvation.  We must strip ourselves of our pride, our selfishness, and the desires of this world. We must bare our souls and our sinfulness and place ourselves before Him in humility and sorrow.   As He hung naked before the world we must come naked before Him.