From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ..."My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:45-46
Most people know the last words spoken by Jesus on the cross but in today's reflection, Stott's emphasis on the silence of Jesus really stood out for me.
As I sit and try to imagine the silence of Jesus on the cross for the three LONG hours and the unexplainable darkness that fell over the land, I shudder at the magnitude of Christ's suffering, the abandonment he felt, the significance of the crime that had been committed and the sacrifice that had been made.
Words cannot properly express this incredible act of love and sacrifice as he undeservedly bore our sins in silence.
I think about how I claim to "love" my family, friends, church family, and neighbors but its so hard to sacrifice myself for someone that I claim to love...much less bear it in silence. But I suppose that is how we should be.
Jesus not only saved us from our sins that day on Calvary but in his death he teaches us not only to love (from P. James' reflection yesterday) but also how to sacrifice for one another as well.
Reading yesterday's reflection and today's, I wonder... Mary was hurting so much that her earthly son was physically hurting. Can you imagine how much our Father was hurting when His one and only Son who was with Him from the beginning, took on all the sins and burdens of this world? and He HAD to forsake Him to save insignificant(just my point of view, not God's) sinners like us? Stott mentioned how crucifixion pierced Mary's heart. I don't even want to know what it did to our Father's...
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine for the reflection. I too join with you and shudder at the magnitude of Christ's suffering. We will never fully understand his cry of dereliction, "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me!" It's a mystery and yet we must try to the best of our human ability to "comprehend" and feel the pain we must have caused our Lord. What must it have been like to be abandoned and separated from God and to bear the punishment of his wrath? I suppose only those who go to hell will know something of just what Jesus suffered. As we reflect this week on the words of Christ on the cross, may we ask God to help us to "open our eyes" so that we can see with greater clarity the depth of Christ's sacrifice. And may it lead us to give God deeper thanksgiving and praise than we've done before.
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