April 7, 2012
Praise the Lord, Jesus Christ!!
My hope for you is that our All Powerful and Ever-living God Almighty, has revealed Himself and His love for you in a new way this Lenten season, as we look forward to tomorrow, the Resurrection of Jesus, for He has conquered death!!
I want to share what the Lord has done for me;
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness;
behond, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him."
This Lent, I have experienced many challenges, hardships, dry days, anxiety, sadness, tears, and joys. While for the first time, sharing my Lent with another person, my soulmate and best friend Craig (my fiancee), I was concerned that Lent may not be as great as in the last 2 years because my attention has been diverted to wedding plans in the midst of the season. Craig brings me closer to the Lord but for some reason I felt very torn between several "things" this Lent, where as in the past it was only the Lord and I.
However, the Lord is faithful, always. Even when we may feel we aren't "doing enough" for the Lord, He knows our heart. If our heart is desiring the Lord and our intentions and hopes remain in Him, the Lord knows all despite our failures. We cannot do anything more or anything less to change the everlasting and unfailing love Jesus has for us!! Praise the Lord!!
Holy Thursday we attended Mass, where the washing of the feet took place as Jesus did at the Last Supper. I found myself crying throughout most of the mass. Tears of despair, joy, love, back to despair in Jesus leaving the world physically in His death.
The Lord gave me the grace to feel as though I was truly at the Last Supper. It was so humbling to think and know (and now see in Fr. Jeff) that Jesus the Son of God, got on His knees to wash the feet of His apostles and followers. He not only washed their feet with water to cleanse their skin, but through His new covenant, He washes us free from sin! It was truly a blessing, to know and feel the love of Jesus in His humble actions for us and our life, salvation.
During the Consecration of the Eucharist, the Lord put me in a place where I truly believed and felt as though He were there on the altar (because He is). Fr. Jeff was truly the image of Jesus through the power of God's Spirit. I felt as though I were sitting at the Last Supper, when Jesus gave us the new covenant of eternal life through His Body and Blood. I was extremely blessed at this moment, with tears of great joy rolling down my face. Nothing else mattered, beside answering God's call by saying "yes" to His Son.
As I brought myself up to receive the Eucharist and Blood of Christ, I could barely get my "amen" out. I was trembling slightly, amazed to receive Jesus directly from my mouth into my body. Glory to God! He calls each one of us to be intimately in relationship with Him, and through Him and The Holy Spirit, His Holy Father!
I meditated on Jesus entering my body, and transforming my being into God's creation for me. "Yes, Jesus. Let it be done according to Your Holy will!" The Lord gave me great grace for the remainder of the mass, where tears could not be stopped. At one point, when the Eucharist was being processed around the Church to be placed into the tabernacle before Good Friday, I felt great despair knowing Jesus was going to leave this world at His Crucifixion.
I didn't want Him to "leave me." And I then thought about His mother, Mary, who must have prayed and hoped, prayed and hoped, in her Son's Words and wisdom that He shall ascend and return. I felt like Mary for a split second, where I hoped and hung on to Jesus' teachings and promise that He will be back again.
This is my hope. My intimate relationship with Jesus lies in the grace God has freely given me through my "yes" to know Him, and follow Him. I am a sinner; but what I know is that God became man through His Son, Jesus. Jesus lived in a human body, here in this world to unite Himself to us and our humanity. Jesus, took on all suffering that we could possibly experience; sadness, despair, pain, anxiety, anger, fear, loneliness, betrayal, physical harm. He took all that pain, all our sins, and nailed them to the cross. He died and was buried with our sins. He conquered death through God's Heavenly grace and Spirit, by rising and ascending into heaven, returning to His Father, taking our sin and pain and bringing them to God's Kingdom. He has set us free from the darkness of death, and brought us into the light of free life! God gives us this gift so freely, out of True Love!
We watched The Passion on Good Friday, and one of the most touching parts is when Jesus is crucified and His Spirit is taken up to God, the whole earth shakes as Jesus' head bows as He dies. When they pierced the side of Jesus to assure He was dead, the man was showered by Jesus' holy Blood and fell to His knees. The world knew He was/is truly the Son of Man, the Son of God!
We are humble children of God. He loved us first in His perfect creation, and then through Jesus His One and Only Son, to rid us of original sin and bring us into the Light of Eternal Life, so that we may return to Our Heavenly Father and Creator!! Praise God!!
My prayer is that this week, you may remain hopeful in the Truth that sets us free; Jesus is alive, He is risen, and He has conquered death! We are called to Life through The Truth of Jesus and His Holy Word. Praise the Risen Lord, for we are children of the Most High King!!
Through the Blood and Water which gushed forth from the side of Jesus, I ask the Lord to wash you clean of the stain of sin, and enlighten your hearts and minds. Rest in the Love of Christ,
Erin
