On Palm Sunday Jesus sent for the ass and colt,
signs of the Messiah from a prophecy of Zechariah in the Old Testament. It was
the most courageous, the most faithful, of Jesus' acts in the whole of the New
Testament. Tragedy often begins with courage.Because Jesus suffered, he understands all the
suffering we go through: sweaty palms before a job interview, waiting in a
hospital room for a doctor's words, loneliness, grief, physical pain and
abandonment, hurt, rejection. Jesus suffered and therefore knew all of these
pains we go through.
Scenes of love are found every day in the care of
relatives for a sick one. This week, I am aware of parents caring for their
newborn son waiting heart surgery. The sight of a mother or friend or nurse
holding, with extraordinary grace, a plastic vomit bowl beneath the mouth of a
son or friend or parent, is noble. The lack of self-consciousness in the
washing of the feet or more private parts of the body of someone who is loved,
is noble. And for me the most amazing and inexplicable part is that there is an
almost tangible increase in the nobility of a person who, with dignity, allows
others to do things for them that I, in my health, would rather roughly refuse
and indeed now dread.
When our loved one fail to respond to treatment and say at the end, "I am thirsty," and I can see a mom, best friend, or nurse hold to their lips a cup of water, and I think about Jesus on the cross, and Mary at the cross. I have seen the Passion and I do believe that only the God who was crucified, while completely and utterly innocent of all that he was accused of, and who suffered death, could greet with open arms any patient and say to them with absolute sincerity, while smiling upon their tired face, 'Welcome into my Kingdom, my beloved daughter and son.”
Suffering is noble also in the ways it can change our
life. A parishioner shared: We lost five of our relatives
in one year to untimely deaths. I was feeling deep sorrow one morning after my
husband left for work. I was gazing out the kitchen window, pondering the short
lives of our loved ones. Suddenly I was aware of how fortunate I was to have
this day ahead of me. I wondered what each of our loved ones would do with just
one more day to live. Then I decided I would live this day doing what they would
have done. I began by baking chocolate chip cookies to welcome a new neighbor,
as my mother-in-law would have done; I donated used clothing to a needy
organization, as my brother would have done; I phoned a friend I had lost touch
with, as my sister- in-law would have done--all the while smiling as my
grandchild would have. With God's guidance, sorrow turned to joy as, mindful of
others who aren't here, I tried to help those who are lost and feeling
desperate.”
God watches over us as we pray: “My comfort in my
suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” (Psalm 119:50).
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends during this
Holy Week as we walk the way of the cross with Jesus. With courage we must take
the risk and remember the resurrection of Easter Sunday is nothing without the
passion of Good Friday.
