LENT...Finding Life's Compass...

Not many days from now, on February 22, the holy season of Lent will once again dwell upon us...Ash Wednesday.

The events that preceded the death and resurrection of our dear Lord Jesus Christ will come upon us yet again; the Via Dolorosa...way of the Cross.  It is a season of gratitude.

This is yet another opportunity, graced upon us, to examine our own life, our journey...to determine those parts of us that need to die...parts we must let go...grudges, fears, laziness, resentments, old habits, etc...a time for us to repent.

It is also a time for each one of us to journey to Jerusalem with Jesus once again; renewing bits of ourselves, peeling away another layer of our human condition.  Each year comes and goes quickly...as impatient as we all are...the transformation and birth of our true self only takes place in God’s time.  We must patiently and humbly wait for Him...but we must stay awake...we must be sensitive to God’s presence around us...we must learn to listen to His quiet whisper...most of all we must simply place our full trust in Him.

As I begin to jot down the above reflection, my thoughts rushed back to last weekend when I visited a terminally ill colleague.  He has been journeying or rather; crawling through life...battling and hanging on to whatever bits of life that remains in him; with Stage IV nasal cancer...which of late has spread to parts of his body...now both his kidneys seem to be failing him.  His breaths are short and much weight has been lost.  Time seem to stand still...

Yes, cancer is such a cruel disease...created by mankind...it does not choose...it does not warn the victim.  Cancer brings so much silent pain for the parent and family, but even much more hopelessness for the innocent victim.  Does God punish us?  How can one find faith and hope under such circumstances?

The seconds become minutes, the minutes spill into hours, the hours into days, days turn into weeks, into months, into years...into eternity...  What simple words of comfort does one offer such a friend?  The journey towards Golgotha seem endless...

Encouragement, strength, courage, a touch, a hug, a smile...most of all one’s humble presence...only the sacred silence where both human spirit simply and quietly reach out to bond as one creation... through Him, with Him, in Him but ever most of all, loved and cherished by God...no matter how far we have drifted or turned away, no matter how broken our bodies have become...God will always love you!

My dear friend would surely swap his condition, just lying on the hospital bed, waiting...for the good health that most of us able-bodied take for granted day in and day out.  Through our daily actions and worldly pursuits, we display absolutely no gratitude for life...for God!

Such is the hopelessness and regret that is felt when one’s time on earth is almost up...when one’s breath enters into sudden death...not knowing the hour that is to come.  Soon the tiredness will be put to rest.

For most of us, who are truly “alive”, do we actually realize and cherish life as a gift? Are we conscious of our “alive-ness”?

Or, are we simply more distracted by how this “gift of life” is packaged?  Whether we have this or that, whether we are born into a rich and wealthy family, so many whether and what ifs.

The more that we come to the realization (and this is not simple) that life is freely gifted from God, the more our life will be a life of faith and spirituality; a life where we come to know God, where we journey in relationship with Him...where God becomes real in our lives.

As truly simple pilgrims through this life, the meaning of our short pilgrimage on earth must not depend on reaching any particular destination, accumulating a certain level of material wealth or striving to achieve any worldly goal...the world label this as success.

Very simply, it should instead depend on our humbleness, simplicity, openness, faithfulness, hope and trust...that God knows the way far better than we do – He will lead us, if we just let Him.  He will love us, if only we allow Him.

However, as prideful as we all are, in our entire majestic ego, we become impatient, restless, we seize control, we want control, we want worldly assurance...we want to become powerful in the eyes of the world.  In the course of this mad obsession, we put layers after layers upon us, until we lose our simple identity; we forget our humble roots, becoming deaf to the call to discipleship, blind to others, mute to sharing the goodness of God, losing our sense of direction...becoming out-of-touch with God.

This Lent, we must come back to the Gospel...diligently journey the Via Dolorosa with Jesus...He will surely give us hope, He will bring us home.  Trust Him with your entire life.  This is the best investment one can make...with guaranteed returns!

Hope does not pretend that everything will be alright.  Hope simply means knowing that Jesus will sustain us and walk with us...as our faithful companion.  As I mentioned to someone recently, my simple view is that “God is good ALL the time.”

It is almost certainly the selfish acts of mankind, with its egoistic human condition, that causes chaos all around and subsequently, having to face drastic consequences of such actions...both from the past, but most of the time, changing the course of many generations into the future.

As I reflect on the Apostolic Letter entitled, “Motu Proprio Data” of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI for the indiction of the Year of Faith which is due to begin on October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013, I am reminded that the “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for each one of us.

“We must rediscover a taste for feeding ourselves on the Word of God faithfully handed down by the Church, and on the bread of life, offered as sustenance for his disciples.”

The life of Christians, as pointed out in this simple Apostolic Letter, knows the experience of joy as well as the experience of suffering.

“This is a great joy to you, even though for a short time yet you must bear all sorts of trials; so that the worth of your faith, more valuable than gold, which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be proved - to your praise and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  You have not seen him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him you believe in him and so are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described; and you are sure of the goal of your faith, that is, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9, New Jerusalem Bible)

This short papal letter moves on to remind each one of us that what the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people, like you and me, enlightened in both mind and heart by the Word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life...a life without end...a life that is journeyed with the hope of the resurrection...a journey travelled with Jesus as an Easter people.

As such, the trials of this short and finite life, while helping us to understand the mystery of the Cross and to participate in the sufferings of Christ, are a prelude to the joy and hope to which simple faith ultimately leads to.

Next week, beginning Ash Wednesday, onwards into the coming holy season of Lent, let us commit, discipline and entrust ourselves to the Lord Jesus, who is and will always walk beside us as our faithful Companion, as He always knows what we need and most of all, what is best for us.

Wishing one and all across the world, a holy and healing season of Lent, coupled with a meaningful Via Dolorosa with Jesus...towards the door of faith...  May the hands of the Lord touch your hearts in a way that will move you ever closer to Him.  Amen.

Persevere with Jesus Christ...

As I was perusing through a used books warehouse sale recently, God somehow led me to a 1961 Holland-printed, Canadian-published copy of The Fulton J Sheen, Sunday Missal.  Without any hesitation, I purchased it for a mere equivalent of USD1.50...truly a great blessing from God!

One can never seem to find priceless spiritual books like these anymore, with such wisdom in thinking even from back then...breaking God's word into human understanding and application.  Today, it seems that people do not treasure these spiritual literature anymore...abandoning them...throwing these away...

As documented in the post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Verbum Domini, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that “the world today is often excessively caught up in outward activities and risks losing its bearings.”  How very true these words from the Holy Father...

In any case, glancing through the priceless, almost mint pages, of the Missal, I would like to “multiply” this USD1.50 “investment” and share some of the beautiful excerpts of Bishop Fulton Sheen with all of you - as we move into Pentecost Sunday.  Truly, this saintly man continues to be a living prophet for our time.

“The whole world is dying of hunger.  The East is suffering from hunger of body; the West from hunger of soul.  The words of the Gospel are everlastingly true: “they have nothing to eat.” (Mark 6: 36)


Calvary was only one small place on the earth, a by-way of Jerusalem, Athens and Rome.  But what took place there, the sacrifice of the God-Man, can affect men everywhere in all corners of the earth.


The Mass plants the Cross in a town, in a village, in a mission, in a great cathedral; it draws back the curtains on time and space and makes what happened on Calvary happen here.


On the Cross, our blessed Lord knew how every individual soul in the world would react to his supreme act of love; he knew whether or not we would accept him or reject him.


But no one of us knows how we will react until we are confronted with Christ and his Cross, and see it unrolled on the screen of time.


We can know something of the role we played at Calvary by the way we act at the Mass in the twentieth century (or at this present time) and by the way the Mass helps us to live.


In every Mass, therefore the Cross of Calvary is transplanted into New York, London, Tokyo, Nairobi, Hong Kong (or wherever you may be located): all humanity is taking sides, either sharing in that Redemption or else rejecting it, either being on the Cross with the Victim or beneath it among the executioners.


The Mass is that which makes the Cross visible to every eye; it placards the Cross at all the crossroads of civilization; it brings Calvary so close that even tired feet can make the journey to its sweet embrace; every hand may now reach out to touch its Sacred Burden, and every ear may hear its sweet appeal, for the Mass and the Cross are the same.


This world of ours is full of half-completed Gothic cathedrals, of half-finished lives and half-crucified souls.  Some carry the Cross to Calvary and then abandon it; others are nailed to it and detach themselves before the elevation; others are crucified, but in answer to the challenge of the world, “Come down”, they come down after one hour…two hours…after two hours and fifty-nine minutes, Real Christians are they who persevere unto the end.  Our Lord stayed until he had finished.


So we must stay with the Cross until our lives are finished.


Our human nature is the raw material; our will is the chisel; God’s grace is the energy and the inspiration.


Touching the chisel to our unfinished nature, we first cut off huge chunks of selfishness, then by more delicate chiseling, we dig away smaller bits of egotism until finally only a brush of the hand is needed to bring out the completed masterpiece - a finished man (or woman) made to the image and likeness of the pattern on the Cross.”


We continue to remind ourselves on this journey that it is the work of the Holy Spirit, coupled with the intercession of our Blessed Mother, that truly makes our souls more Christ-like...in the process, bringing about a new Pentecost to transform the world around us...

“Keep your eyes on the crucifix; for Jesus Christ without the cross is a man without a mission, and the cross without Jesus is a burden without a reliever.”

– Bishop Fulton Sheen

The Cross or The Crucifix?...A Simple Reflection

Here is sharing with you a simple reflection as we journey towards the Easter Vigil of the Holy Triduum.



Why would millions of people around the world today want to follow and have relationship with a man hanging on the gallows – the Cross…the Crucifix?

It is just so out of this world…so morbid…so repulsive…such an unsuitable sight…so crude…such an awful instrument of torture.  Many people have resorted to commercialize or to soften the image, eradicating the sombre side, the bloodiness, by removing the figure on the Cross…leaving just a bare Cross…some believe this move to be a better image of the risen Christ…depicting the Cross as the place for true glory…

In the process of doing so, people hope to result in a Christian religion that is more cheerful...more popular...more acceptable...more marketable...   This softened image might have just withdrawn the Cross from the reality of human tragedy.


“A faith which speeds through the idyllic days of Galilee to the Easter garden, with Good Friday missed out, is a faith trivialized, turned into opium of the people, a way of escape.  ….What the eye don’t see the heart don’t grieve about.  …To be truthful, religion too must enter the darkness and face the fact of evil.  …True religion is that which bears the marks of the Passion and is thus able to touch the hearts of those who are haunted by the ghastliness of the world.” (Peter Cornwell, On the River’s Edge)


Ghastliness of the world can be construed as the evils that threatens, diminishes and destroys human fulfillment; poverty, injustice, suffering, human wickedness, indifference, earthquake, famine and disease…all these cast a dark shadow over the world.


“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver, from your vain conversation of the tradition of your fathers: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled…” (1 Peter 1:18, 19, Douay Rheims)

Wikipedia defines Crucifix as coming from the Latin Cruci fixus meaning “(one) fixed to a cross” a three dimensional cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus (Latin for "body"); a holy symbol especially important and evident in all the Catholic Church.

Sadly, even in the midst of this Easter Triduum, there are still those that claim to follow Jesus that still do not accept the Cross as a symbol of Christianity; regarding this as idolatry. Some others view it more appropriate to have crosses without the corpus as Jesus has been raised (aiming to focus more on the glory rather than the suffering) – reducing the Cross of its true meaning of the real Cross of Jesus Christ.

Catholics throughout tradition continue to believe that the Cross, an instrument of torture and humiliation, only becomes meaningful with the presence of Jesus Christ on it; the corpus. Jesus was probably the first to embrace the cross on the way to Golgotha, transforming and redefining it into something that is to be revered.  Having said that, the resurrection of Jesus at Easter is similarly exulted no less in many ways within the Catholic Church rich liturgy and apostolic tradition.


“…without shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22, Douay Rheims)


This Easter Triduum weekend, we remember that the Cross of Jesus Christ, is not just any two beams of wood.

The precious blood of Jesus shed on the Cross has transformed these cruel wooden beams to becoming a holy instrument for our salvation and redemption for all our sins.  The Passion and Jesus cannot be separated from the Cross.

Ultimately, it is the Crucifix that serves as the holy symbol of our redemption, salvation and hope of eternal life.


When we meditate on the Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross, we solemnly gaze at the Crucifix, we reverently and prayerfully kiss the Crucifix, wear and carry the Crucifix…because we want to remember that our salvation came at the greatest of cost; there was a huge price to be paid by the Son of God for the salvation of humanity.

We remember also the sins of mankind, caused by our fallen nature...our human condition…the suffering Jesus had to endure…the consequences of our sins that nailed the Son of God on the Cross.

The Crucifix reminds us all of the great love of God…that at the end of the day, we are all great sinners in need of His Divine Mercy.


As we move into the hours before Easter…prayerfully gaze at the Crucifix and remember…your journey.

What's So Good About This Friday?...



Today, Good Friday, we mourn the brutal death of Jesus…the sinless One…our Redeemer.  Today, we enter into the deep mysteries of faith…a relationship with the one loving God.

We gaze and contemplate on the Cross today…the Cross, whose shadows spans across time and covers all of humanity…the Cross, whose two beams contradict the many seductions of the world…the many pursuits of mankind.


Despite seeing Jesus and witnessing His ministry…listening to His Words…many still choose to deny Him…to reject Him…to crucify Him...  Perhaps, many are actually afraid to acknowledge Him.


It is a human condition that mankind frequently choose to take control of their own lives, make their own destiny and follow the ‘messengers’ rather than hear the radical Truth…the ultimate Truth that points to the one God that is all goodness, all love and almighty…the Truth that points us all to the Kingdom of Heaven…eternal life.


Today, we have the benefit of the Holy Scriptures to point us towards God in our lives, a God to heal our soul and a God to lead us on our journey home.


“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men. A nd the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.


There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him.  He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.  That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name.” (John 1: 1-12, Douay Rheims)


Today, ponder for yourself, in your life, the important question, “What is so good about this Friday for you?”


Love is naturally stronger than death.  That is why perhaps this Friday is so good.  Love Incarnate died for each one of us and transformed the door of death into the portal of eternal life and communion.

Via Dolorosa 7/14…Jesus Falls The Second Time

Today we continue to reflect on our Lenten journey with Jesus, Who “went out, carrying His cross, to the place called “the place of the skull”, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha” (John 19:17).  I humbly pray that the contemplation of these solemn steps of Christ’s journey will speak to your heart.

“Adoramus te, christe, et benedicimus tibi, quia per crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

We adore Thee O Christ, and we praise Thee - Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.”

– The Testament of St. Francis of Assisi – 1182 - 1226

 Scripture Reading:


“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NAB)

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, NAB)

“Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins.  Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5, NAB)

Simply Reflect:


Sweet Jesus, you slowly make your way outside the walls of Jerusalem as the crowds kept on pressing and pushing, mocking and spitting at you to hurry up.  Yet, amidst all these noise and shouting, you found quiet solitude in the embrace of the Cross.

Nevertheless, your whole body began to shiver and tremble and your grip of the cross beams slipped as a result of the precious blood profusely bleeding from your back and your head.

As much as you struggled to hang on, your human body once again gave way to the weight of the Cross.


You fell again for the second time; this time much harder than the first, adding more bruises and wounds to your knees on the pebbled and rocky path to Golgotha.

As your face fell flat on the dusty path, the crown of thorns pierced even deeper into your head, the beams too, crashing heavily on to you.  O, the agony, the pain…the shameful suffering the Son of Man must bear to redeem His loving people…


How cruel this punishment designed by mankind?  Wood from the tree of life now becomes a human instrument of death.  Who ever gave mankind authority to play judge...to play God and take away lives?  Why, even my Father in heaven does not punish when His people sin against Him.

But this bitter cup I must drink, the will of the Father must be done.  This journey to Golgotha must be completed...


O, the weight of the Cross, the sorrows of mankind!

The soldiers dragged Him up but His body was just too weak and dehydrated.  Jesus was determined to get up for the salvation of mankind and to claim Heaven's victory over evil.

Jesus wearily lifted himself up and embraced the Cross even tighter.  The crowd seem amused and entertained by all of this, yet there were a few of his followers who were afraid and kept a distance.  What's happening to our Rabbi...our Master?...Why doesn't he save himself?

He saved others, but cannot even save himself. (Mark 15:31)


As Jesus struggled along, He faintly recalled the words of his disciple Peter, “Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be.” (Matthew 26:33, NAB), “Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.” (Matthew 26:35, NAB)



Quiet Pondering:


Consider how often we have burdened Jesus with the weight of our Cross.  How often we have pushed Him to the limit and even gave up on Him until He fell to the ground?

Like the cruel and heartless Roman executioners, we did not allow Jesus to rest…we pushed Him to the Cross.  We strike Him, we urged Him uphill with all our demands…we weigh Him with all the cross of our sins.

Throughout this journey to the Cross, Jesus always kept His gaze on the Cross, the will of His Father and also upon His loving people lined up along His path to Golgotha.

The loving gaze of Jesus, that once brought about healing and repentance throughout His ministry and had the crowd following Him across the land, up the hills and by the shore, was now confronted with hardened hearts.

How quickly we change…yes, in a heartbeat!  How quickly we crucify God in our journey through life?  We follow God only at our own convenience...

With this second fall of Jesus, we must learn, this Lent, that as Jesus bears the burden of the Cross and falls, over and over again, in order to save us, we, too must rise and not remain fallen and sunk into the dust.

We must look into the gaze of Jesus and pick ourselves up; allowing Jesus to touch us once more…to break down the walls of evil…to carry us…to free us from the many bondages of this world…to light up our darkness…so that we can journey back once again to our ever loving Father in Heaven...who eternally awaits us, His chiildren, with open arms...

Lord Jesus, you simply and humbly bore all my burdens on the road to Golgotha and you continue to carry me each moment of this day.  Give us hope as we too, continue to share this hope with the rest of the world.  Give us light as we too, reflect this light onto the path of others.  Lift us up and help us remember and garner strength from the many times you must fall in order to redeem us.

“The way of the Cross is the road which leads to Paradise; it is the sure way to holiness.  The Passion of Christ is the greatest and most stupendous work of Divine Love.”

- St. Paul of the Cross

Via Dolorosa 3/14...Jesus Falls The First Time

The next few days in Lent, we journey with Jesus, Who "went out, carrying His cross, to the place called the place of the skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha" (John 19:17).  I pray that every step of this journey will speak to your heart.

“Adoramus te, christe, et benedicimus tibi, quia per crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

We adore Thee O Christ, and we praise Thee - Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.”

– The Testament of St. Francis of Assisi – 1182 - 1226

Scriptural Reading:

“We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6, NAB)

“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8, NAB)
 

Simply Reflect:

O Jesus, the path you must journey to Golgotha is not easy, uphill, downhill, rocky paths, the crowd mocking, the soldiers whipping, cursing, and swearing.

Dear Jesus, after all the scourging, flogging, beatings and sleepless hours, you must have been terribly exhausted.  The weight from the beams of the Cross against your open-wound shoulders must have been bitterly painful.

Blood oozing from your head pierced by the crown of thorns, kept on blinding your view. You cannot see your chosen disciples, your mother, your friends, people you have healed…

Suddenly, your knees failed you and you collapsed, the entire weight of the Cross crushed your flesh and bones. Your face smashed the dusty ground; the wounds on your body tore open.

O, the pain Jesus has to bear for the love of his people…the Cross he has to carry.  The soldiers and crowd continue to ridicule, jeer and taunt him as he struggled to pick himself up…  Everyone watched but no one helped. What have we done to our King?

Quiet Pondering:

Jesus, my Lord, everything you have taught, everything you have preached, everything you have shown and shared…was somehow simply not returned to you during your torturous climb to Golgotha.

Ears have heard, but now forgotten; eyes have seen, but now turned blind.  You know this is the will of the Father – this is the only route to save mankind, this is the price of our sins.

Why are the hearts of human ever so hardened?  Did not God created mankind in His very own image? 

What has the world then done to my people?  What have you, my Creation, done to your God?

The Cross is heavy but Jesus, the man, remained obedient; the pain is awful, the remaining journey ahead to Golgotha, frightful.  Each step of the way of the Cross is beginning to be purified by the Most Precious Blood of Jesus the Christ.

May this Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, so holy, also wash and purify our hearts and soul this Lent so that we, too, can turn our lives back to the Father.

Resolve to be mindful that it is not the weight of the Cross, but our sins, our turning away from Jesus daily in everything we say, not say, do and not do, which has caused Jesus to suffer and bleed so much.

Jesus, for the sake of your sorrowful passion, may the Precious Blood of Jesus cleanse me and help me become aware of all my actions which bring hurt to you, help me to remember the sufferings you have to humbly endure for our sake. Help me to take up my own cross and simply follow you.

“Most people really do not suffer from a sense of inferiority, but a sense of superiority.”

- Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Via Dolorosa 2/14...Jesus Is Made To Carry His Cross

We journey, this Lent, with Jesus, Who “went out, carrying His cross, to the place called the place of the skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha” (John 19:17).  I pray that every step of this journey via Dolorosa will speak to your heart.

“Adoramus te, christe, et benedicimus tibi, quia per crucem tuam redemisti mundum. 

We adore Thee O Christ, and we praise Thee - Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.”

– The Testament of St. Francis of Assisi – 1182 - 1226

Scriptural Reading:


“Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole; by his stripes we were healed.  We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all.” (Isaiah 53: 4-6, NAB)

“And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him.” (Matthew 27: 31, NAB)


“Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23, NAB)



Simply Reflect:

Sweet Jesus, why did we make you carry the cross of execution reserved only for criminals?  The two wooden beams looked so familiar to the simple carpenter from Nazareth.

Yet, when you held the Cross, you most willingly stretched out your scourged, bleeding arms, lovingly embraced it, and tenderly kissed it, and humbly placing the beams over your bruised and bloody open wounded shoulders.

Although you were in excruciating pain and consciously exhausted, you still found joy in carrying the Cross for the sake of the whole world, you bore the cross for our sake.  We, followers of the ways of the world, felt 'victorious' again in getting rid of another agent of change…only this time, it was the Son of God.

Quiet Pondering:

Jesus, the Cross that you bore ought to be ours to carry, not you – simply because you are pure.  Like the soldiers and the rest of the crowd, we too wanted to see the gruesome scene of you carrying the Cross through the streets of Jerusalem, we want to mock you.
 

Either we are blinded or simply lacked courage to go radically against the crowd; we merely gaze in seemingly quiet agreement. 

Jesus, you knew our failures yet you still freely chose to remain obedient to the way of the Cross, you allowed us to betray you…the weight of our sins, you willingly bore…for the sake of uniting our souls with God.

The Cross of shame, by your obedience, will be transformed into the cross of dignity and salvation.  How can we be so blind?  How can we not recognize you?

Resolve to be a true disciple of Christ and speak up for what is the truth and justice; take courage not to be easily swayed by the crowd of the world – make a commitment not to double-cross Jesus...carry your own cross. 

Jesus, for our part in not wanting to carry our own crosses daily, we humbly beg for your mercy and forgiveness.  Help us not to create crosses arising from our own selfish desires, to burden others’ journey.

“Never forget that there are only two philosophies to rule your life: the one of the CROSS, which starts with the fast and ends with the feast.  The other of Satan, which starts with the feast and ends with the headache.” – Archbishop Fulton Sheen