Seven Last Words, 2002
	"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Kathleen Horton - Professor, Northwest Christian College "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34) John Rosenberg - Interim Pastor, Central Lutheran Church "Woman, behold your son!" "Behold your mother!" (John 19:26-27) Janine Goodwin - Teacher, Special Education "I thirst!" (John 19:28) Stefani Catone - Pastoral Associate, Newman Center "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) Ben Swagerty - Peer Minister, Newman Center "It is finished!" (John 19:30) Sr. Dodi Poelzer - Maryknoll "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46) Chris Hainley - Financial Aid, Lane Community College
	Kathleen Horton Good Friday Reflection The Seven Last Words “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” How easily we could be on the other side in this—the matter of the execution of Jesus the Galilean, son of Mary and Joseph. From another perspective, we would cite justice. After all, a trial was held, a charge supported, a punishment determined. Law enforcement officials were carrying out the will of the people. From another perspective, we would cite honor, justice, due process. We would say: criminal, law breaker, rioter, maybe even terrorist. From another perspective, we could easily be the prosecutors of this crime, the executors of this punishment: the people calling for justice—Crucify him!—the official washing his hands of responsibility and consequences, the public joining in the frenzy of vengeful invective, the soldiers honorably discharging their duty. We could easily be the friends who watched and did nothing, the friends who stayed away—hid in fear and shame, the friends who said nothing against the sudden rush of popular opinion, the friends who denied they ever knew him. We think we know what we are doing; we think we are in control, but by these words, Jesus reminds us that we don’t and we aren’t. For Jesus has a way of seeing the world slant, of upending our cornerstones of logic, reason, justice, and righteousness. Jesus reminds us that our ways are not God’s ways, our justice is not God’s justice. Jesus is our only cornerstone, and the way of the cross, according to Jesus, is this: To be vulnerable To be humble and meek To utter no words in defense of ourselves when we are wronged To lean our heads toward the crown of thorns To still the hand that takes up the sword To forgive our enemies If we are truly the Body of Christ, then we are called to imitate Jesus, our only cornerstone: to do as he did, to speak as he spoke, to love as he loves. Can we follow the way of the cross? Father forgive us, we don’t always know what we’re doing.
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	"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34)
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	"Woman, behold your son!" "Behold your mother!" (John 19:26-27) Janine Goodwin ­ Teacher, Special Education ____________________________________________________________________________ Jesus is suffering. Jesus is dying. His Mother is suffering, too. There on the cross is her miracle, the body to which she gave birth, the one she nursed at her breast. He is in unspeakable pain, and she cannot help him. His followers, the few that have not run away, are watching the death of their teacher, their healer, their hope. They have left everything to follow him, and he is dying. The soldiers have turned the worship of Palm Sunday into an evil joke. In the depth of this horror, Jesus looks at his sorrowing Mother, at his grieving friend, and gives them to each other. From this moment on, they are mother and son, forever. The world has betrayed its Lord. We have broken relationship with God, and when God tried to reconcile with the world by sending his Son to be one of us, we killed him. God would be just to destroy us all. But God, made known in the suffering presence of Jesus, turns to those who are willing to stand at the foot of the cross and says, Behold your mother. Behold your son. God is with us in our losses, in the betrayals we suffer and the betrayals we create. God offers Christ to us and offers us to one another. One of the eucharistic prayers we’ve been using for Lent says, “Look with love upon your family,” meaning the Church. This family, like any other, is not perfect. There is hurt and division within it. But God is leading it into truth and healing, and God, who gave us to each other, will be faithful to us all. Look around you. Behold your mother, your father; behold your daughter, your son, your brothers and sisters. Look in unexpected places. My confirmation sponsor was young enough to be my son, but he is my father in faith. I have heard a woman cry with joy because her confessor looked at her with the tender acceptance her mother could never give. Think of the people who are the sisters and brothers of your soul, but born to other parents than your own. Then ask God to show you how to extend that love, in prayer and eventually in action, to someone you find difficult to love, remembering that God has given us to each other in suffering and in joy, at the foot of the cross and in the eternal kingdom. Looking at this scene of infinite love in the midst of grief, I wonder: Where are the disciples who ran away? Are they huddled together somewhere out of sight, trying to hide from the pain, planning to head back into the lives they left for Jesus? Are they alone, perhaps hiding in the crowd, silenced among those who laugh at their Lord? The Gospel doesn’t say. It tells us only this: that if we will follow Jesus into His suffering and death, we will not be alone. In the darkest hours of our lives, God gives us to each other. Janine Goodwin
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	“I thirst” What does it mean to be thirsty? If we are talking about biology, it is the physical sign that indicates our body is in need of water. It may be a slight discomfort, a little dryness in our mouth, or it might be as serious as dehydration. If we are talking about emotional or spiritual thirst, it too means that something is lacking. We might thirst for love, friendship, justice, or holiness. We might thirst for healthy bodies and minds, for reconciliation or acceptance. We might experience thirst in the midst of our own conversion when we feel like every strength that was stored up has been depleted. Which kind of thirst did Jesus have? Both. Jesus physically thirsts, he’s been through a lot. But the other kind of thirst, is a thirst for us. If ever you have doubted that Jesus was fully human, today is the day for that doubt to be quenched. The Gospel according to John makes it clear that Jesus is human throughout the entire writing as a response to the heresy of Gnosticism that claimed that God was too great to ever become human. Gnostics believed that all matter, all flesh was evil, so how could God take on human form? We are reminded today in the passion of Jesus that he was very much human, and that this is not God becoming less than, rather it is God allowing us to become a part of something greater than ourselves. Because God was made flesh in Jesus the Christ, we have the assurance that God shares all of our human thirsts: physical and spiritual. When we thirst, Christ thirsts. When the poor thirst for clean water to drink, Christ thirsts. When a child thirsts for a parent who will love them and not abuse them, Christ thirsts. When those who are marginalized by society because of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or political views thirst for belonging, Christ thirsts. When Jesus says I thirst, he is not only identifying with the needs of humanity; he is experiencing the needs of humanity. He who is the living water thirsts. He who is the font, who quenches, who washes, who renews needs something. Jesus thirsts for us. He thirsts for our companionship, our reliance on him, our prayer. He thirsts for us to be people of justice, people of peace, people of hope. So when Jesus says I thirst, don’t pity him. Rather, ask how you might quench that thirst. How might we quench the thirsts of our sisters and brothers? How might we become more aware of the thirst that is within us, around us, and even the thirsts on foreign borders. The body of Jesus experienced a physical thirst. So too, does the Body of Christ on earth, proclaim its need.
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	"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) Today, on this Friday, we are reminded, on the outside, of the pervasive and horrible abuse of children in the Church, and a situation in the Holy land that seems to grow less and less stable as the days pass. Inside, we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, and in it, a time that a dying man, in great pain, and of humble faith, said: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." "Truly I tell you," [Jesus] replied, "Today you will be with me in paradise." We long, and we ache, to hear these words spoken to us. In our hearts, we long to hear them from Jesus himself, telling us that it is all okay. That everything will be all right. We especially ache, and hunger, to hear them in our struggles, in our darkest hours. When you feel that you are not carrying your cross, so much as you have been nailed to it. In 1986, when I was 9 turning 10, my mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer. My two brothers, two sisters and I knew very little about it, just that "mommy was sick", but apparently the situation was much scarier and much more dire than I knew. My dad later told me that on one bright sunny day, he took me, my brother John, and my sister Mary on a hike up to a huge hill near our neighborhood. As we ran around, happily playing in the grass, my dad was watching us, and he thought to himself, "God, I can't do this by myself. I can’t do it without her. I can't raise these five children alone." And immediately he felt this huge sense of relief and comfort wash over him. He said that it felt as though a huge burden had been lifted off of his shoulders, and he felt that everything was going to be all right. Well, the treatment worked, months later the surgery worked, and in May of 2002, they'll have their 31st wedding anniversary. For my parents, it was a terrifying brush with cancer. For others, it may take the form of a collapsing marriage, death of a child, parent or spouse, or loss of a livelihood. On this somber day, with fearful events far away and close by, the secret here is an unfailing hope. We all long to hear these words of lasting comfort and relief. In our darkest hours it is easy to doubt if we ever will. But we will. In the hardest moments, when you have been stretched out and you are in great pain, always know that He is there, side by side with you, feeling everything that you are feeling, and He will not fail you, forsake you, or abandon you. Written by BENJAMIN SWAGERTY     GOOD FRIDAY, MARCH 2002
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	"It is finished!" (John 19:30) Sr. Dodi Poelzer ­ Maryknoll A reflection addressed to Jesus. You may eavesdrop if you wish. Preexisting Word: Divine Person in the dance of the Trinity, in unending Self-emptying love, in living loving community Word of Creation: Christ of the created universe ­ the Lord, the First Born, and connecting fibre of all creation Word of Salvation: Redeemer Incarnate ­ the Christ of the human race, - Jesus of Nazareth missioned to redeem humanity ­ out of the self-emptying love of the Trinity - inserted into the human race ­ to re-create the human race,(us, me) ­ to transform us… Pre-existing Word, Christ of the Universe, Redeemer Incarnate! There on the cross, at the end of Your earthly life of Self-emptying love, You, Jesus, took that sip of sour wine to quench Your quenchless thirst for our love, and said: “Tetelestai” “It is finished.” “It has been completed.” “It is accomplished.” “It has been achieved.” “It is fulfilled.” There was nothing more that a God could do. The Scriptures are fulfilled: all things which are written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning You are fulfilled… The work of redemption has been achieved. You accomplished your mission. You completed the work the Father gave You. Your Hour is finished ­ “tetelestai”. There was nothing more to add… There was nothing more that a God could do… And You did it out of love. Pre-existing Word, Christ of the Universe, Redeemer Incarnate! Real love costs ­ and costs dearly. True love is a harsh thing costing “not less than everything”. You, Jesus, know that. …And You showed us what Self-emptying, creative, redeeming love asks - what committed love asks of us… And You bore our infirmities, our brokenness, our sin, our suffering. By Your wounds, our wounds are healed. It is soul-shocking, Jesus, to behold the depth of the solidarity You have with us - a solidarity to the point of death, a painful death, and beyond. There was nothing less that a God would do. Pre-existing Word, Christ of the Universe, Redeemer Incarnate! You, Jesus, held your ground… You knew in this, the 24 hrs of Your final Hour, that no one had the power to release You nor to crucify You ­ Your gift of Self was freely given. No one had the power to take Your earthly life ­ You Yourself gave up Your own life. There was nothing less that a God would do. Pre-existing Word, Christ of the Universe, Redeemer Incarnate! You, Jesus, had told us that You must be lifted up so that we may have Life, and that when You are lifted up from the earth, You would draw all humanity to Yourself. Now You are lifted up - in this the finality of Your Hour ­ and the Cross becomes Your glory. We laud Your victory over sin and death. We celebrate the accomplishment of Your mission. We cherish Your Sacrifice­ on the Cross ­ in the Eucharist. There is nothing less that a God would do. Jesus, “God reigning from a tree”. Draw us to Yourself - to the foot of Your Cross ­ to Your Table. And, once there, lift us up that we may see still further ­ beyond the disappointments, the failures, the scandals, the darknesses ­ lift us up that we may see still further ­ far beyond the horizon of our sight ­ lift us up that we might see - more clearly - what a God would do. Pre-existing Word, Christ of the Universe, Redeemer Incarnate! JESUS! Your Hour is finished - …and our hour has only just begun.
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	Luke’s account of Our Lord’s Passion concludes with Christ uttering these words, “…into your hands I commend my spirit.” This utterance is taken from the thirty-first Psalm. I read this psalm and discovered that it is prayer in distress and a thanksgiving for escape. God is a rock, a stronghold, a fortress. The psalmist prays to God for protection to be a refuge in times of trouble and distress. Into your hands. Hands. Hands of caring and love. I am struck by the image of hand employed by the psalmist. The psalmist could have said into your care or into your arms. But he didn’t. The image of a small child being led by the hand across a street or down a forest path. A young couple walking hand in hand through a park or on the beach. The hand of a caregiver cradling the hand of a sick or dying loved one speaks volumes. It is an image of intimacy, caring, love, and trust. Christ is speaking to His Father at the point of death and is placing everything into His hands. This trust is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian and our call to proclaim the Good News. Into your hands I commend. To commend, to offer, to give of ourselves. God is always asking us to go beyond ourselves. He never asks us to do more than what we have strength to do. When we reflect upon the life of Christ and what He asks each of us to do, His call is to go beyond ourselves. To seek to help others. Give to Ceasar, but… then He continues on and says give to God. You can forgive 7 times, but …forgive 7 times seventy. To commend or offer ourselves is to give and not expect anything in return. Give in such a way that your right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. The widow’s mite. She gave not out of what was left over but that which she lived on. She gave to God that which was part of her life to Him. Into your hands I commend my spirit. My spirit. Not my mind or my body. But my spirit. I am asked to give my soul to the Father. The soul which contains who I am, my experiences, my memories, my uniqueness. The soul is the image and likeness of God. We are asked to let go. And in letting go, we are giving ourselves over to God. To give control to him. All too often our lives are spent trying to get or keep in control. We cannot stand the thought of chaos in our lives. We seek and crave order in our lives. Your ways are not God’s ways. God is always asking us to step back, to take a breath, to listen to Him speaking through His Son and the Scriptures. To turn away from this world and to seek Him, to return to Him. To die to self and live. Over the last year I have been privileged to witness the incredible trust that others have in proclaiming the Good News or the ability of others to trust God. Our Holy Father has called us all to evangelize. To proclaim the love the Father has for us requires us to be willing to trust in Him. To place ourselves in His care, His loving hands. The last two years my wife, son, and I have been involved with a Catholic praise band from Stayton. Through reading and involvement I have seen the Lord working wonders through the people I have met. A family who has taken the Lord’s call to evangelize through the ministry of music. Stories of conversion and the fire of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the truth of the Resurrection. I am what you would call a cradle Catholic. I went to a parochial school. I entered the seminary, but after two years of graduate work received the call to the married life. However, during all this time I “knew” the truths taught by the Church, but I never really felt them. But over the years I have witnessed the fire of the Holy Spirit. From the first Rite of Christian Initiation at Easter in Bend to the Archdiocesan Millenium Celebration the Church has been experiencing a renewal of the Spirit. We are being asked to step out of ourselves and to commend our spirit to the Lord. We are being asked to trust Him. God will not let us down. The God of love is a mighty and awesome God. He raised Jesus on the third day. He led the Israelites from the land of Egypt. He was with Peter and Paul on their journeys. His hand directed Mother Teresa in her work of charity throughout the world. My wife has a note posted on our mirror. It reads, “Good morning! This is God. I will be handling all your problems today. I will not need your help. So have a good day!” When we commend our spirit into God’s hands, we are opening ourselves to the possibilities that he has for us. We pray for His care and protection. When we see someone hurting how often have we listened and invited them to prayer. How often have we invited someone to Mass, a prayer service, or bible study, but have been afraid to extend this invitation because of the possibility of rejection. Remember you are not the one being rejected. Just as Christ taught us to pray He also offered this small prayer for strength “into your hands, Father, I commend my Spirit.”
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