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| PhilHouse (formerly Pinoy Pinay), Vallejo |
REFLECTION ON SEVEN LAST
WORDS
Good Friday
April 3, 2015
“Truly, I say to you,
today you will be with me in paradise."
How can someone who is
in some state of suffering or agony still be happy or blessed? How does someone endure sacrifices, agonizing
moments or at its most extreme example, how does one endure even a terminal
illness?
Many of us know someone
who is in the middle of suffering and agony.
We ourselves may be experiencing this right now. We are not just carrying our Cross, but we
are on it.
And during these times
of agony on our Cross, we will take either one of two attitudes in our
hearts. We will either move away from
God or move closer to God. There is no
middle ground.
We are either like the
bad thief or the good thief. In our
sufferings, let us not be like the bad thief who mocked and cursed Jesus while
dying and suffering.
Let us rather, be
converted and moved to repentance and grow closer to God while suffering. Let our hearts be moved to deeper conversion
to God and say, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
We suffer for love! This is the Christian meaning of human
suffering. Suffering and pain are not
meaningless or useless. Like the good
thief, our suffering becomes redemptive.
Jesus the Suffering
Servant modeled the true meaning of service and kingship. The Cross is Jesus’s throne. The Lamb of God is seated on the throne of
his Cross. As true God and true man, Jesus combines human suffering with divine
love. His Kingdom is revealed only when
raised high on a Cross (Catechism #440).
Our King Jesus rules through sacrificial service and love.
You and I, in our
sufferings and trials of life for Him, let us too be seated on the throne of
our Crosses.
I have a dear friend from
India who told me the story of her mother as she lay dying. (My friend is a parishioner at one of our
local parishes.) Her mother kept
mumbling some inaudible words over and over.
The doctor or nurse put their ear close to her mother’s mouth to hear
what she was saying. My friend’s mother
was heard saying very softly over and over and over, “Praise God. Thank you, God. Praise God.
Thank you, God.”
She was not cursing God
for her sufferings he sent to her…. but rather praising Him instead! And glorifying Him from her Cross united to Him! Let us glorify God who is seated on His Cross
with our sufferings done out of love.
As we prepare for the
Adoration of the Cross, come, let us adore the Cross on which hung the
Salvation of world that died for you and me….kiss the Cross with profound love
and as much love as you can muster in your heart. Let us not just go through the motions, but
let our lips match our heart. For when
you kiss His Cross today, you are kissing yours as well.
Thank your King for what
He did for you. Let us not be the bad
thief who mocked Jesus as he was dying.
But let us be the good thief in our agony and say, "Jesus, remember
me when you come into your kingdom."
Let the good thief’s
words be our prayer, too, so that Jesus Our King from His Cross…. to you and me on our
Cross will say those blessed words to you (through your kiss), "Truly, I say
to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
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| Baby holding her Ate's St. Therese doll |
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| Outdoor Stations of the Cross w/family |
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| The Showing of the Holy Cross |
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| Selfie w/Mom I chanted the 10 Solemn Intercessions, along with "Let us kneel. Let us stand."    
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