Reflections On The Passion of Our Lord

After praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet today at 3 o’clock, I began my normal prayer routine of meditating on the Stations of the Cross except something was different today. I think it could have been because I also did the prayers for First Friday and I was reflecting on those words when I entered into the regular practice of meditating on the path which Our Blessed Lord walked for our salvation.

The meditation and reflection at each Station was different, it was deeper and I really felt the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding me here on this first Friday in May, the month of Our Lady. I reflected on Our Blessed Mother’s grief and sorrow when Jesus meets Her along the way to Calvary. I reflected upon the words of Simeon at The Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, and the sorrow he predicted for Mary which would be fully realized during the Passion of Our Lord.

Then, I came to the Seventh Station: Jesus Falls The Second Time, and this is where I felt a profound sense of meditative grace. In praying the First Friday prayers those speak of the sorrow that Our Lord has for the ingratitude of humanity as revealed to Saint Margaret Mary.

I was thinking and reflecting on that ingratitude as well as about how Jesus is familiar with all human suffering. I felt this overwhelming sense of unworthiness when I reflected on that particular Station; that Jesus could have prevented or changed all of what He endured. He chose not to use His divine powers to prevent His Passion. He did not have to fall underneath the weight of the Cross, but Jesus did because of His love for us, because of His love and compassion for all of us.

That is still such a powerful notion that it is hard to imagine that kind of sacrifice and love. It is completely unconditional, and really can spark some introspective evaluation of what areas in my own life that I need to improve in order to live more like Christ.

My mother used to often say to me that living as a Catholic can be difficult because it is a hard standard to hold yourself against but, at the same time she would explain, that was the whole point it was supposed to be a continual process. My mother also often used to say: “there are 10 commandments, and then Jesus boiled them down to two, but it still takes a lot of effort and discipline to follow them completely” and I would agree with that statement.

However, my mother would always push me to be a better person and encourage me to continue to strive to live in the example of Jesus Christ. That encouragement and that example in my life helped to shape the faith that I have today because I continue, as many people I know do, to strive to grow and deepen my faith.

This reflection on the Seventh Station also brought me to some meditative thought on healing. I attend a Healing Mass usually once per month, and I have prayed for healing of all types, both for myself and for others. In this society in America of instant results, social media, and instant gratification; the notion of having patience is not popular nor is it even part of the secular lexicon.

God does not work within the constructs of human time, things do not happen whether it is related to healing or otherwise, on our terms. If we believe that God loves us and wants what is best for us, then we also should trust in the fact that He knows what we need better than we do. The whole concept of patience through suffering came to me during my reflection today.

We all have our sufferings and issues in life, I have them just as anyone else does. I have been patient even when others I know have not understood those actions on my part. Other people may think “well he goes to Healing Masses and he is not healed” but as I mentioned earlier, healing has many forms. Some aspects of my spiritual life have been healed over the course of that time. I am also patient because I have been humbled by the suffering that I have endured, it has helped me to empathize even further with others who also are going through difficult situations.

Finally, I am patient through all of my trials because I believe that God will provide healing for me in His time, and that this is all part of the plan that God has for my life. It is not for me to understand, it is for me to obey and to continue to rise above my limitations to be the best person I can be.

Our Lord sacrificed so much for us when He willingly took up the Cross and carried it to Calvary to conquer death and provide to us, His children, salvation for our inherently sinful natures. I reflected today on that unfathomable love and sacrifice while recalling the responsibility I have to share in the Cross when the Lord asks me to do so.

We, as Catholics, are blessed to have this incredible faith but we are also called to understand the sufferings of others and to help those less fortunate. We are called to love one another as Our Savior taught us to do without judgement. We are often asked to endure suffering ourselves. We are asked and required to follow those Commandments I alluded to earlier, and that is going to test our human endurance at times. It is what we do when we live in the Light of Christ. May the Risen Lord Jesus be with you all and with those you love.