That we may know

 

             Wednesday, February 24, 2021

But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. (Mark 15:20)

Alone you are, Jesus, stumbling, exhausted, played out; your arms tied rough and hard, shoulders scraped raw against the coarse grain of the cross as your skull jars harsh against the cobblestones.

Do you hear their voices as you lie there—taunts and derision, soldiers’ demands to get up and get on with the grisly business of the day so they can go drink away the rancid phlegm stinging their throats before they have to do it all again, maybe tomorrow?

Or maybe you are so beaten down that their voices are a distant echo in the background of your soul, knowing what is to come and wondering if you have grace or strength to be and do what love requires.

And this? To bear it all, refusing to return hatred for hatred that the divine heart may be known—and that we may know it.

This is how the world is saved. This is how sin’s ugly cycle is shattered, not by force of power or victory over enemies, but by hearts who repay bitterness with blessing, taking the worst the world can give and giving back the best.

The way of Jesus.

Pr. David L Miller

We adore, O Christ, and we bless you.

By you holy cross you have redeemed the world