“I thirst…
… for you!”
This is the heart of our faith: we embrace death to find new life. It feels easier to avoid death but, in so doing, we miss out on the life of the Resurrection that follows. We need to recognize the different ways we behave in response to death, and we see some examples in the Passion reading. Judas betrays; Peter denies; Pilate becomes complicit in Jesus’ suffering; those who do not understand Jesus call for His death; the soldiers profit off of Jesus’ torture. Mary the Mother of Jesus, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and John stand with Him and witness; another soldier offers a drink; Joseph and Nicodemus ask for Jesus’ body, and prepare their friend for burial. Each person must respond to the dying; the way they do will frame the choices they make in response to rising. Everyone grieves and encounters suffering differently. Each of these people, and each of us, will have to make our way through the grief, if we are to find the risen Jesus.
Prayer of the Faithful: For compassion in the many ways we face suffering and grief, we pray to the Lord.
Reflection is taken from CCCB – National Pastoral Initiative for Life and the Family.
