Reflections on God … Man … Life
The first recorded words of Jesus as He hung upon the cross were “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” He uttered these words after being beaten, scourged, forced to carry the crossbeam through the streets of Jerusalem, and then having nails pounded into His hands and feet. And yet, as He hung there, He wanted those who were responsible for this to be forgiven. C. S. Lewis once wrote, “Everyone says forgiveness is a… Read more »
On this Good Friday/Easter weekend, the Christian message of sacrificial death and resurrection may be brought more to the forefront of minds that normally think little of such things. The message is the same at all times, but this weekend sharpens the focus. To the natural mind, death is finality. There is no comprehension of how it can be of any good. Yet C. S. Lewis, in his book Miracles, shows us how: On the one hand Death is the… Read more »
Today I’m participating in a Good Friday service that focuses on the seven statements of Jesus as He hung on the cross. The statement I was asked to speak on is “It is finished.” Here’s an excerpt from my homily. I hope it ministers to you. What does that short declaration, “It is finished,” really mean? What’s behind that statement? Philippians, chapter 2, contains one of the most astounding and wonderful passages in the entire Bible. In it, we glimpse… Read more »
On this Good Friday/Easter weekend, the Christian message of sacrificial death and resurrection may be brought more to the forefront of minds that normally think little of such things. The message is the same at all times, but this weekend sharpens the focus. To the natural mind, death is finality. There is no comprehension of how it can be of any good. Yet C. S. Lewis, in his book Miracles, shows us how: On the one hand Death is the… Read more »
On this Good Friday, I want to draw attention to another aspect of the atonement of Christ. Our traditional theological explanation is to say that Jesus died on the cross so we might escape the penalty for our sins. Most of the time we seem to treat it as a type of commercial transaction. Sure, we are grateful we don’t have to bear the consequences, but all too often we see what Jesus did as some kind of transfer: God… Read more »
No one who was present on that first Good Friday would have given it that name, not even the Pharisees and Sadducees who sought Jesus’ death. The earthquake and the veil of the Temple being torn in two probably put a damper on their celebration. Dismal Saturday was, if possible, even worse for the disciples than the day before. It was a day without hope. But hope was coming sooner than they knew. Resurrection Day made the two previous days… Read more »
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The… Read more »