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Jesus needs to be more than a wall hanging
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Jesus needs to be more than a wall hanging
"When love is true, it stirs a response of greater love." Archbishop Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan,
Computer placement is an art.
In my house this essential piece of technology is located in the upstairs hallway, just outside four bedroom doors and at the top of the living room stairs. Needless to say, when most of the family is home there are multiple "audio experiences" going on - rap music from one bedroom, rhythm and blues from another, a very loud television show from the living room and a variety of conversations or phone calls.
Sometimes, as I sit in the middle of this sensory smorgasbord, I am happy to be available for that impromptu conversation with my adult son(s) or the unexpected question from the teenagers.
Other times I want to tear my hair out. I think the experience is representative of our culture as a whole these days - lots of movement, an overabundance of noise and few places, or even moments, of peace and quiet.
Such moments or places are always a welcomed gift, but combined with an experience of overwhelming love, those moments are rare treasures. And I, like a host of others, repeatedly find those treasures while praying and resting in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. But those moments can be sad moments, too, when we look around and see just how few have come to spend some quiet time with the Lord. I have often reflected on why and have come to believe that, for many Catholics, Jesus often remains simply a figure on the crucifix. We have a mental understanding and even appreciation of his suffering, but we are sometimes unable to emotionally enter into his sacrifice, his pain, his love. We have not yet been able to really enter into the heart of our Savior, and without that personal experience we cannot truly appreciate what it is we are forsaking when we forsake our Lord in the Eucharist.
And so, in such moments of quiet prayer, I sometimes imagine that someone I love dearly is being dragged to the cross, hearing his screams of agony as each nail pierces his skin and each slip of the hammer crushes his bones.
As this beloved cries, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" my own heart cries out, "My God, My God, why have you done this for me?" Through tears I always ask, "What can I do for you?" His answer, spoken through eyes shattered with pain but shining with hope, is always the same. "Love."
Contact
Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org
NJ, US
Mary Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Education, 732 562-1990
mmorrell@diometuchen.org
Keywords
Jesus
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