With its long chapters but moving events, Holy Week brings my favorite passages from the Bible, and the ones that are the heart of Christianity: Jesus' Passion and Death.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
John 19: 25-27
I can only imagine a mother's sorrow, watching her beloved son crucified. And yet, she stood with him to the end, unwilling to let him be alone. He may have been God, but He was also her baby boy. When I find myself challenged with my children, I think of Mary, our Mother, who was there for her Son's last breaths, and through prayer and God's grace, I can handle whatever I need to do.
He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass by him; he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.”
Mark 14: 35-36
At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Mark 15:33-34
I also think that if, in his darkest moments in Gethsemane and on the cross, the human Jesus could feel abandoned by his Father, it's understandable if I have moments where I feel forsaken. Jesus wasn't too crazy about the idea of being put to death, but He accepted it as His Father's will. Even on the cross, he felt abandoned, yet He did not lose faith, but accepted what would happen as God's plan. Acceptance and trust in God are no better exemplified than in these cornerstone passages.
(Photos are from the 2012 Notre Dame Regional School Living Stations. It was the last presentation by the school - three months later, it was closed. It was a time where many felt forsaken, yet continued to trust in God. Six months after these were taken, a new school was begun, and the Living Stations tradition continued this year as Edgarton Christian Academy's Passion Play.)
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