Image credit: By Fran Flores (2007), FreeImages.com, CC0/PD[/caption]
A week ago, we were in crisis. It was bad … really bad. I couldn’t see a way up or out of the turmoil our family was embroiled in. What should I do? What could I do? I was completely powerless to change anything. My family was powerless and we were all in pain.
Then, my children led the way. They started to pray. They forgave, they sought strength in each other and they formed prayer teams. They did not give in to the despair we were feeling. They used their fear and anger to motivate them.
A week later, not only has the crisis been averted, we were granted a miracle that was so unthinkable, we had not even had the courage to ask for it. I can’t even describe the relief, joy and hope that has taken the place of fear. As we journey through Lent, I see a parallel in what the apostles felt watching Christ as he journeyed to Jerusalem.
I can now imagine what the apostles experienced as they watched their teacher, leader, brother ~ their friend ~ led away. They were in pain and powerless to change anything, just as we were.
They must have felt anger, as well as fear, while they watched as Jesus was accused, beaten, and nailed to the cross.
Then, as Jesus died, the apostles felt despair and possibly hopeless. We were there too: lost, sad, and terrified.
As they clung to each other and held on to the Blessed Mother, so did we. We turned to each other and to prayer, because there was nowhere else to turn in our grief.
A few short days later, we too would stand in disbelief, as one we thought lost had been returned to us. My heart overflows at the new understanding of those difficult days at Gethsemane, the road to Calvary, the Cross, and the tomb. Only God, in his mercy, can bring salvation and new hope out of death and destruction.
Lent can be painful and dark, but joy does come on Easter Morning.
Copyright 2019 Mary Lou Rosien
About the Author
.png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)"){kind=logo}
Comments