Lenten Reflection - April 13th

Written by: Margene Wampole

Reading: Mark 15:33-39

33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[a] 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[b] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

A direct quote from Jesus, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus, son of God, lived among us as a man. He asks nothing of us he did not ask of himself. He took life from birth to agonizing death... for us. Jesus walked our journey and promised us he would always be with us. As we deal with our valley of trial or our peak of joy we have Jesus beside us. We can ask, but are not promised the pain will go away or the problem will be resolved happily. When Jesus was dying the immediate view was that it was "over". God's intervention of the Resurrection was not apparent then as God's reasoning is often not apparent now. We are promised that God did not forsake His Son, Jesus, and will not forsake us. God is a loving Father and Jesus a loving Son.

Jesus, you endured. You suffered the doubts, the pain, death, the results of your commitment to your Father's will as you saw it as a human. We ask in your name as the Son of God, to help us endure in faith as loving children of God. Strengthen us with your grace. Amen