Pax et Bonum

The Online worship resource for St. James Parish

March 25, 2009

We adore you, Oh Christ, and we bless you;
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world

Online Stations of the Cross

Paintings, by David O’Connell, are the stations that hang in St. Richards, Chichester, England.

The Way of the Cross

The "way of life" continues and renews the mind of Christ in us and becomes the way of faith and conversion. It is indeed the way of the cross. It is the way that leads one to trust in him and his plan of salvation, and to believe that He died in order to show God's love for each one. It is the way to salvation in a society often divided, confused and contradictory. It is the way to the happiness found in following Christ right to the end, in the sometimes dramatic circumstances of daily life. It is the way that does not fear failure, difficulties, isolation, loneliness, because it fills our hearts with the presence of Jesus. It is the path of peace, self-control and a joyful heart.
Pope John Paul II

1. Jesus is Condemned

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 1

As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole counsel, held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led him away to Pilate. Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged; he returned and said, "I find no case against him." When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" And Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified..

Have you ever been accused of something when you knew you were innocent? Our desire is to defend ourselves; we want the world to know we didn’t do such a thing. We want our reputation unsullied.

Jesus said little or nothing in his own defense. He admitted he was guilty of the charge that he was "King of the Jews," and the false accusations that were brought against him he did not bother to deny. Paul’s letter to Philippians remarks that Jesus made himself of no reputation. He did not defend himself, for he knew that his actions were beyond defense.

What would happen if we were willing to lay down our reputation in this world? What would happen if we indeed embraced injustice toward ourselves as Christ did?

To mock your reign, O dearest Lord, they made a crown of thorns;
Set you with taunts along the road from which no one returns.
They did not know, as we do now, that glorious is your crown;
hat thorns would flower upon your brow, your sorrows heal our own.
 
In mock acclaim, O gracious Lord, they snatched a purple cloak,
Your passion turned, for all they cared, into a soldier’s joke.
They did not know, as we do now, that though we merit blame
You will your robe of mercy throw around our naked shame.
 
A sceptered reed, O patient Lord, they thrust into your hand,
And acted out their grim charade to its appointed end.
They did not know as we do now, though empires rise and fall,
Your Kingdom shall not cease to grow till love embraces all.
F. Pratt Green

Holy God
Holy and Mighty
Holy Immortal One
Have mercy upon us.

2. Jesus takes up his cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 2

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull.

In a sermon preached on World Youth Day in 2001, John Paul II wrote:

Jesus is not a Messiah of triumph and power. In fact, he did not free Israel from Roman rule and he never assured it of political glory. As a true Servant of the Lord, he carried out his mission in solidarity, in service, and in the humiliation of death. He is the Messiah who did not fit into any mould and who came without fanfare, and who cannot be "understood" with the logic of success and power, the kind of logic often used by the world to verify its projects and actions.

Having come to carry out the will of the Father, Jesus remained faithful to it right to the end. He thus carried out his mission of salvation for all those who believe in him and love him, not in word, but in deed. Love is the condition for following him, but it is sacrifice that is the proof of that love.

To take up one’s cross is not to lead a life of aesthetic self-denial, but one of love – to follow in the way of love shown to us by Jesus. There are times when denial of pleasures as a path to holiness is easier than loving people, especially when those people are difficult to love. Who is difficult to love in your life? Whom do you find challenging in your work or church community? How does the way of the cross, the way of love, invite you into relationship with that person?

Surely he has borne our infirmities
And carried our diseases;
Yet we accounted him stricken,
Struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
Crushed for our iniquities;
Upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
And by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray
We have turned everyone to his own way
And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53

Holy God
Holy and Mighty
Holy Immortal One
Have mercy upon us.

Piety

You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Psalm 51

Psalm 51 is the cornerstone for Lenten prayer and discipline. It starts with confession and the desire not only for forgiveness but also for a clean slate. The author moves from asking for mercy to affirming an understanding of God’s own desire for truth.

The Psalm reminds us that even when we are aware of our sins we need help to move away from them. The desire to be made whole is the beginning of the movement toward God’s forgiveness.

The cultivation of truth and wisdom is known as piety. Piety sometimes has the connotation of quiet mumblings in dark corners by stern persons who never smile. Piety, in the context of Psalm 51, is no less than the journey into the secret heart of wisdom. When the Psalmist prays to learn wisdom, he has put his foot on the pathway that leads to truth.

Lewis Bayly, (1565-1631) a puritan writer from Wales, writes about the three steps of Christian piety.

He says that piety consists in:
Knowing God
Knowing thy self, and

Glorifying God

If we are to know God, we must spend time paying attention. Every moment brings us whispers of God’s presence. When we move through our day are we noticing the graces that flow into our lives?

The same is true of knowing oneself. Being self-centered and paying attention to the truth about oneself are not quite the same, are they? Can you see the glimmers of God’s image in your own face?

Glorifying God is simply being transparent to God’s beauty and light for others. We do this through worship and through serving one another.. When we spend time listening for God’s voice and noticing God’s image, it seems natural to want to bring these realities into the lives of those around us.

The way in which sunlight shines through the petals of flowers is the way the light of Christ shines through us. We are not changed into something other than we are, but we are made more visible and more beautiful.

Piety helps us open to light. The light that changes our vision, and the light that makes new vision possible.

Blessings,
Debra

Daily Morning Prayer

Daily Morning Prayer

This Week at St. James

Prayers Etc.

For those on our prayer list:

For Matt Rogers, our Postulant
For Nate, our Intern

In Closing:

Father,
In your plan of salvation,
Your son Jesus Christ accepted the cross
And freed us from the power of the enemy.
May we come to share the glory of your resurrection,
For he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. AMEN
from the Liturgy of the Hours

Pax et Bonum,
Loree+

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