So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely
help.
Earlier this week I wrote of Saint
John’s Roman centurion we cry out, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
As bleak as the incident on Calvary
was, we confidently approach the throne of grace to
receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
In the long history of the Church thousands of nations have
approached the cross in many different ways. Wailers keen; pilgrims enter their
churches on bloodied knees; and flagellants flay their backs by whips and scourges.
All are seeking ways to be with Jesus and to
share his sorrow.
My Franciscan tradition, to which I bring my own North American
sensibilities and my Irish/German ancestry, recommends silent stillness and
quiet devotion. I must pay attention to Good Friday; I cannot dismiss it as a
mock show on the way to Easter. Jesus truly
suffered and he truly died. An innocent man who did only the will of God was
wrongly condemned to death by three tribunals representing religion, the city's mob and a world power.
I must feel the weight of responsibility for that. When the Lord
of Goodness entered our world we reacted with an uncontrollable, irrational
spasm of violence and murdered him. We did it and we can’t even remember what reason
we gave for doing so. Was it blasphemy or sedition or common crime? What was
that diabolical impulse that suddenly swept over us?
When I read of irrational responses to today’s political
issues like gun control, illegal immigration, taxation or health care I know
the world has not changed. When I hear of NIMBY demonstrations to prevent the
building of prisons, halfway houses, and homes for people with disabilities, I know
our world is no safer today than Jerusalem two thousand years ago. And I know that if I were to “take arms against a sea
of troubles” I would only make matters worse. Violence will always beget
nothing but more violence.
So I go to Church with my fellow Christians and confidently
approach the throne of grace to
receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.