“My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?”
Yesterday, I was
giving a 3-hour seminar workshop “Introduction to Prayer”. A young woman who
with her fiancé was at the marriage preparation course, asked me this question.
“My grandmother says that there is so much evil in the world that Jesus will
have to come soon in his glory; that will be the end of the world. What do you
think about that?”
Here is what I replied.
The apotles and the first generation of the disciples of Jesus were expecting
Jesus to come back soon, in 10 or at the most 20 years. They discovered that
Jesus was delaying his return in glory. In each generation until today, there
have been signs that the end of the world could be approaching. However, I must
admit that right now there is all over the world an over abundance of evil, but
there is also much good.
“My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Our environment is
rapidly coming to the precipice and more and more scientists are sounding the
alarm that our planet Earth is already at the point of no return: so many
species are disappearing or in danger of going extinct. Genesis tells us that
God our Creator entrusted his creation to the human race; so that we might
cultivate his garden. Instead of cultivating it, we are exploiting it to
destruction. God places all the goods of the Earth at the disposal of all, but
there are too many of us who accumulate far more than we need, while blocking
access to these goods for the rest of the population; creating millions of poor
who are dying of hunger.
We are literally
closer to the end of the world day by day and hour after hour. Either Jesus
will return in his glory, or I myself will die tonight. One way or another, it
will be the end for me. That is the truth for all of us. Our life is running
fast to the end. That is why God our Father sent his Son to our Earth, and He
continues to send Him. Jesus wants to touch our heart; so, we might let his
Father love us by opening our heart to Him. That is why Jesus makes us belong
to the Assembly of God’s children who help us encounter Jesus and let Him
encounter us.
“My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus invites us to
walk with Him in his passion, and especially, during this Holy Week. We can
take the role of each character in the passion, standing in their shoes, and
then we will see Jesus show us the face and heart of God who loves all of his
children without exception. If we want to receive the love of God which carries
us into eternal life, we must let our heart open its gates wide and accept the
risk of suffering like Jesus the rejection, condemnation, torture, and death.
When we close the gates of our heart in order to try to avoid being hurt, the
closing of our heart prevents us at the same time from loving and being loved.
“The
Lord God helps me; therefore, I have not been disgraced; therefore, I have set
my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame!”
I am one of the apostles
who fall asleep in the garden… I am Judas who betrays Jesus… the one who cut
the ear off the high priest’s slave… I am among the disciples who flee… the
high priest who judges Jesus… I am among those who strike Jesus… Peter who
denies even knowing Jesus… Pilate who interrogates Jesus… I am among the
soldiers who torture Jesus… among those who mock Jesus… I am Simon who helps
Jesus… among the women who weep for Jesus… one of the thieves beside Jesus… I
am among the men and women disciples who care for Jesus’ body… Jesus loves them
all… Jesus loves us all….
Jesus’ passion continues to unfold in all of our own
passions in life and in all the passions of our neighbours and of the whole
human race….
“The Lord God helps me; therefore, I have not been
disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall
not be put to shame!”
Jesus offers his life to his Father on the altar of
the cross. It is our turn now to lay down our life with Jesus on the altar as a
single offering to God our Father. We offer ourselves with Jesus: all that we
carry within us and which, in silence, we lay down, including our own will; opening
wide our spirit to God.
“The
Lord God helps me; therefore, I have not been disgraced; therefore, I have set
my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame!”
“Mary
Mother of God, St. Joseph, walk with us in
the steps of Jesus. O my
Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the
Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
In silence now, the Holy
Spirit helps us to lay down our offering together with that of Jesus….
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