Walking with the Wounded
Oh My Jesus,
they nailed You to that awful cross.
That cross carried the weight
of our sin, throughout all time.
And, they hung You there for all to see.
Pray, we see,
and in seeing, remember,
and in remembering,
beg Your forgiveness,
and in begging,
hear Your final words for us:
“Father, forgive them;
for they do not know
what they are doing.”
(NRSV: Luke 28:34)
Pray, we obey you and,
just as the Father told the Israelites
to gaze constantly on the serpent,
which Moses raised on a pole,
pray, we don’t look away.
Pray, we are pierced with each glance
by the awful truth of our sin,
especially the endless consequences of our sin,
born by innocent others.
Pray, we are pierced
by the heavenly and enduring love
for which You were sent to die for us.
Sent to pay the awful price for our sins,
once and for all time.
Who else, Oh Holy God, could love us
so much that He would die for us
in this horrible way?
Not because we returned Your love,
but in order that we might understand —
even in our sin — the endlessness
of Your love for us?
Even in our lives,
so filled with hatred and violence,
no one, nor any thing,
can overwhelm Your love
or make You turn from us.
Who else — what other God —
can make such an outrageous claim?
Only You, precious Lord.
Only You.
Only through You
may we come to comprehend
the infinite love with which You love,
the undying love in which You shelter us,
the unconditional love with which You
made us in Your image.
Pray, we choose You.
Pray, we slake Your thirst, Holy Jesus,
with our love as we say ‘yes’
to Your love and mercy.
Pray, we are faithful unto death.
Faithful, with your mother and ours,
the Blessed Virgin Mary,
and with St. Mary Magdalene
and St. John.
All faithful at the foot of the cross.
Pray, we give thanks in the end
for Your mercy and forgiveness,
with our belief in You
and our trust in Your goodness.
Pray, we might be united with You
one day and for all time in Heaven,
according to Your Word,
according to Your Holy Will.
*******
As we linger at the foot of cross, experiencing sorrow for all the ways we have disappointed Our Lord, pray that gratitude slowly replaces sorrow, as His mercy floods each new season with joy.
?Remember, each of these meditations are in my Rosary Meditations Library, at Walking With My Brother. The Meditations Library includes additional resources that you may find helpful, including background readings and a publication schedule for future Rosary meditations.
?And they also publish at Catholic 365 and on Substack, which allows people to subscribe and access them for free. If you do want to contribute to this effort, all donations will go to help physical renovation of St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows in Nashville.