The Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross - Part 6: The Sixth Word

“It is finished.” (John 19:30)

About eight years ago, I attended a benefit for an organization that helps people that suffer from serious mental illness, at the home of Ruth Greenfield. At 94, she was one of the most captivating people I have ever met. When I admired her home, she quipped, “You may take anything you like—it saves me the trouble later. The only thing you cannot take is my piano.”

I soon understood why. Ruth played like an angel, performing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Sweet Caroline” entirely from memory. But she wasn't just a musician; she was a pioneer. In the segregated 1950s, she broke racial barriers by founding the Fine Arts Conservatory, bringing together Black and white students and teachers—a "scandalous" but breath-of-fresh-air approach at the time.

You might assume that by 94, her mission was done. Wrong. When asked to host a charity event, she did not hesitate; she opened her doors with a smile and wide open arms. Ruth passed away in 2023, just shy of 100, living every day as if her mission wasn't over until her final breath.

Some people spend their lives serving others, while some spend it serving themselves. This brings us to the sixth sentence that Jesus calls out from the Cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). This cry of fulfillment was the ultimate reparation for the sin of sloth.

Now, when I think of sloth, the first vision that comes to my mind is that of a cute, slow-moving, tree-hugger with a monkey face, a piglet snout, and big brown eyes who lives in the rainforests of Central and South America. So why would being slow be considered a capital sin? I’m super slow. My husband claims that I test his patience to the limit because I eat slowly, I drive slowly, I walk slowly, and since I’m not a morning person, when I wake up, I take forever to get moving. Being slow is not a sin, but being lazy is. In the Church, we sometimes call this 'acedia'—a spiritual lukewarmness. The minute we feel at ease and are too lazy to move beyond our comfort zone, we are in danger of committing the sin of sloth or laziness. If we are slow to respond to God or decide to ignore His call completely, we may be guilty of sloth.

In order to combat sloth, we must lift our minds up to heaven and the hope that we have in Christ. We must ask for a joy for spiritual and eternal things. We must pray for the zeal to cultivate a deeper desire for God and the things of heaven, “for what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want” (Galatians 5:17). Our fallen flesh is strongly opposed to the desires of the Spirit. We must take the first step by getting off the couch and on our knees, but the biggest hardship with the sin of sloth is that we may be too lazy to engage in the battle. We need to stay connected to Jesus through His body, the Church. We need to remain active in the spiritual life through prayer and work. We need to run to Christ in prayer anytime the fog of sloth begins to approach.

When Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” He wasn’t just announcing the end of His pain; He was announcing the completion of His mission here on earth, a mission that He never once hesitated to fulfill. He can look up to heaven and tell His Father, “I glorified You on earth by finishing the work that You gave me to do” (John 17:4). We also have an obligation to honor and glorify God by completing our mission, so while I may always be the one who eats slowly, drives slowly, and needs an extra hour to get moving in the morning, I have realized that my ‘physical slowness’ is not the danger. The real danger is the spiritual part of me that sometimes may be too slow to get off the couch and respond to God. Jesus paid the price for every time I have stayed in my comfort zone instead of stepping out in faith.

Like Ruth Greenfield, who was still saying ‘yes’ to her community at nearly 100 years old, we are all called to a life that is fully spent serving God. When God calls me to witness for Him through my writing, I know that with His grace, I can accomplish my mission too. I hope that one day, I can stand before Him and humbly say, “Lord, because of You, it is finished.” Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam.

Copyright © 2026 Christy Romero. All rights reserved. If you thought of someone while reading this, bless them by sharing it with them.