Breaking, broke, broken, Rescued, healed, awoken, Ever taken with your Way. For the sake of all, It’s all the same. No one more than the other, Each onto its own, But gathered in Your name.
Your grace O Lord, The longing of our hearts. Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani. At times, perhaps, We think we know, Yet thinking doesn’t make it so.
Your grace O Lord, The longing of our hearts. We feel one way or another, Sometimes many ways at once, Yet feeling doesn’t make it so.
Your grace O Lord, The longing of our hearts. With us, within us, Always within reach.
Your grace O Lord, Makes known your Way, The desire in our hearts, Yours and ours together, Rising up, makes it so.
Meet me at the Intersection. You know the place. The one where our wills meet, And where differences are laid aside. The one where hearts meld for all.
Meet me at the Intersection. You know the place. The one where face to face, Our guards recline and fears subside, As we recall the beauty of our Oneness.
Meet me at the Intersection. You know the place. The one, and only One, Where we help each other, And the choices made, Regardless of their ilk, Shine with greater Glory.
Meet me at the Intersection. You know the place. The one where we walk, hand in hand, And there is no wedge between us. Where we recall, together is our destiny.
Meet me at the Intersection, You know the place. For there is no other way, But the Way—open, just, and free, As life, in all its Glory, rises to its fullness.
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.” This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: Say to daughter Zion, “Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” – Matthew 21:1-11
Reading the responsorial psalm for Palm Sunday and the response, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Psalm 22:2) my mind is immediately filled with thoughts of the dear, innocent people of Ukraine whose lives have been taken, trampled upon, and upended, most recently over the course of the past several weeks, as well as for the dear, innocent people throughout the world who each day suffer such cruel and unjust treatment at the hands of others. It’s hard to comprehend how, with all the advances humankind has made in the past 2,000 years, the same hatred that slithered its way into the hearts and minds of those who sought to crucify Jesus, still exists, and that acts of such cruelty and utter disregard for humanity are still carried out.
It’s hard to understand, but perhaps that’s the point. It’s not understandable. What we are witnessing is the devastation that comes in situations where the heart of the matter—we are One—is lost; overruled by greed, hatred, lust for power, and indifference. Yet, at the same time, we are witnessing the heart of the matter—we are One—rising up, calling out… alive and well in the spirit of unity seen in those who stand up, reach out, sacrifice, and stand together.
The Passion of the Lord is about reclamation and answering that call.
Reflecting on the Passion of the Lord in the Gospel according to Luke (chapters 22-23), how do you bring your thoughts and feelings about all that is happening in the world today to God? Where do you meet Jesus? In what ways do you accompany Jesus in his Passion? And how do you draw inspiration and strength from the journey?
HopeThatFloats 