Putting ourselves in the Gospel scene of doubting Thomas, our ‘take’ on it might be strikingly different from the popular (and disparaging) view of this Holy apostle. He had shown great fidelity and courage. God is wanting to give us that same courageous fidelity and these troubling times are actually the gift of opportunity for us to grow. . It is built by intentional small choices made throughout the day Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
A priest once said “When Jesus looks at you, He does not see your sin. He sees through your sin to the images of God still remaining.”
St. Claude de Colombiere wrote “Men may deprive me of property and honour; sickness may take away my strength and other means of serving You; I may even lose Your grace by sin; but never, never will I lose my hope in You.” That is Divine Mercy.
It is Easter, Halleluiah! Easter isn’t just a day; it is an entire season for us to rejoice with Him in our resurrection in Christ! Yes, He rejoices in us, in our smallness, our vulnerability, our fidelity through thick and thin. We pushed through Lent with steadfastness. Now is the season to think about how to keep that up, maintain Jesus in our heart despite the confusing world around us. He wants to help with that.
Lent now comes to a close, and we prepare to embrace the Truth of our salvation, our redemption, as foretold to us in the Old Testament scriptures and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. How distant those ‘tales’ may seem to our current life, and yet some things never change…
It can be difficult to enter into Jesus’ Passion and death. It’s one thing to know He suffered so much for us. It is another thing to realize He suffered so much because of us. Then to take in that He didn’t need to; He wanted to. It’s simultaneously sobering and consoling. Consoling because, while we aren’t capable of understanding the magnanimity of His unconditional love, our eyes are opened just a little to it.
Praying the stations of the cross privately is one approach that will deepen our relationship with God by entering into His passion. By praying the Passion as St. Ignatius has taught us, we can make Stations of the Cross deeply personal.