Lenten Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 2 Chapter 7: On the Love of Jesus above All Things

“How blessed are those who know how good it is to love Jesus.”

We are called to love Jesus above all things and to despise ourselves for His sake.  After attending Holy Thursday Mass last night, I begin to have a deeper understanding of what it means to despise oneself.  This means in its simplest form – putting oneself last.  When Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles, He moved himself to the lowest position within human society.  This is the part of the body no Jew would have ever touched.  So why did he pick the feet?  Because this is the part of our body which is constantly in communication with this world. When we walk in this world, the dirt of this world collect on our feet.  We must wash away the things of this world if we want to rest in the arms of our heavenly Father. By washing the dirt from our feet, we remove our connection to this world freeing us to walk with Christ.  We wash away the false love for the creatures and earthly things that fail us for the love of our Father which is eternally enduring.  We are called to remain close to Jesus both “in life and in death” by committing to Him alone.  When all others leave you, Christ will still be there by your side.  It is amazing that we can turn our backs on Him who created us out of His love and when our earthly treasures fail us and we find no one to love us, He is still there with open arms.  We can deny Him three times as Peter did today on Good Friday and even after His crucifixion, He still greets us with love and compassion.  If only you could empty yourself of the earthly treasures, how greater would His love feel to us.  The more we empty ourselves of the earthly things, the more room we make for Christ in our lives.  “All flesh is grass, and all its glory shall fade like the flowers of the field (Isaiah 40:6).  Thomas a Kempis says, “To seek yourself is to find yourself – but to your own destruction.” But if we seek Christ in all things, “you will most certainly find Him”.

A Simple Prayer

Lord,

On this Good Friday, help me to seek you and your cross.

Help me to find all my treasures in you and in your suffering today

So I can be freed from eternal death in your resurrection.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

PS – Today is Good Friday. Today is the day that Peter denied Christ.  All His friends abandoned Him and left Him at the cross.  How many times do we feel the same way that in our time of greatest suffering, there is no one there for us?  This is the message for today – Christ never abandons us, even when we abandon Him on the cross.  Every time we sin, we turn away from Him who suffered for us.  Every time we chose not to sin we bring ourselves to very foot of that Cross to enjoin Him in his suffering.  Because when you choose not to sin, you are saying, “Yes, Lord, I love you more than this world.”