Sacrifice

A friend sent me the following story. Perhaps some of you have heard it or read it in an email. I am not sure whether or not it is true (www.snopes.com neither confirms nor denies it). True or not, it presents an interesting question of "what would you do" and is a great representation of what Easter 

must have been like for God: 

"AFTER A FEW OF THE USUAL EVENING HYMNS, THE CHURCH'S PASTOR SLOWLY STOOD UP, WALKED OVER TO THE PULPIT AND, BEFORE HE GAVE HIS SERMON FOR THE EVENING, BRIEFLY INTRODUCED A GUEST MINISTER WHO WAS IN THE SERVICE THAT EVENING. IN THE INTRODUCTION, THE PASTOR TOLD THE CONGREGATION THAT THE GUEST MINISTER WAS ONE OF HIS DEAREST CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AND THAT HE WANTED HIM TO HAVE A FEW MOMENTS TO GREET THE CHURCH AND SHARE WHATEVER HE FELT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE SERVICE.

WITH THAT, AN ELDERLY MAN STEPPED UP TO THE PULPIT AND BEGAN TO SPEAK.

"A FATHER, HIS SON, AND A FRIEND OF HIS SON WERE SAILING OFF THE PACIFIC COAST," HE BEGAN, "WHEN A FAST APPROACHING STORM BLOCKED ANY ATTEMPT TO GET BACK TO THE SHORE. THE WAVES WERE SO HIGH, THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FATHER WAS AN EXPERIENCED SAILOR, HE COULD NOT KEEP THE BOAT UPRIGHT AND THE THREE WERE SWEPT INTO THE OCEAN AS THE BOAT CAPSIZED."

THE OLD MAN HESITATED FOR A MOMENT, MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH TWO TEENAGERS WHO WERE, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE SERVICE BEGAN, LOOKING SOMEWHAT INTERESTED IN HIS STORY. THE AGED MINISTER CONTINUED WITH HIS STORY, "GRABBING A RESCUE LINE, THE FATHER HAD TO MAKE THE MOST EXCRUCIATING DECISION OF HIS LIFE: TO WHICH BOY HE WOULD THROW THE OTHER END OF THE LIFE LINE. HE ONLY HAD SECONDS TO MAKE THE DECISION. THE FATHER KNEW THAT HIS SON WAS A CHRISTIAN AND HE ALSO KNEW THAT HIS SON'S FRIEND WAS NOT. THE AGONY OF HIS DECISION COULD NOT BE MATCHED BY THE TORRENT OF WAVES. AS THE FATHER YELLED OUT, "I LOVE YOU, SON!" HE THREW OUT THE LIFE LINE TO HIS SON'S FRIEND. BY THE TIME THE FATHER HAD PULLED THE FRIEND BACK TO THE CAPSIZED BOAT, HIS SON HAD DISAPPEARED BENEATH THE RAGING SWELLS INTO THE BLACK OF NIGHT . . . HIS BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED.

BY THIS TIME, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE SITTING UP STRAIGHT IN THE PEW, ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THE NEXT WORDS TO COME OUT OF THE OLD MINISTER'S MOUTH.

"THE FATHER," HE CONTINUED, "KNEW HIS SON WOULD STEP INTO ETERNITY WITH JESUS AND HE COULD NOT BEAR THE THOUGHT OF HIS SON'S FRIEND STEPPING INTO AN ETERNITY WITHOUT JESUS. THEREFORE, HE SACRIFICED HIS SON TO SAVE THE SON'S FRIEND. HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE OF GOD THAT HE SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR US. OUR HEAVENLY FATHER SACRIFICED HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WE COULD BE SAVED. I URGE YOU TO ACCEPT HIS OFFER TO RESCUE YOU AND TAKE A HOLD OF THE LIFE LINE HE IS THROWING OUT TO YOU IN THIS SERVICE."

WITH THAT, THE OLD MAN TURNED AND SAT BACK DOWN IN HIS CHAIR AS SILENCE FILLED THE ROOM.

THE PASTOR AGAIN WALKED SLOWLY TO THE PULPIT AND DELIVERED A BRIEF SERMON WITH AN INVITATION AT THE END. HOWEVER, NO ONE RESPONDED TO THE APPEAL. WITHIN MINUTES AFTER THE SERVICE ENDED, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE AT THE OLD MAN'S SIDE. "THAT WAS A NICE STORY," POLITELY STATED ONE OF THE BOYS, "BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS VERY REALISTIC FOR A FATHER TO GIVE UP HIS ONLY SON'S LIFE IN HOPES THAT THE OTHER BOY WOULD BECOME A CHRISTIAN."

"WELL, YOU'VE GOT A POINT THERE," THE OLD MAN REPLIED, GLANCING DOWN AT HIS WORN BIBLE. A BIG SMILE BROADENED HIS NARROW FACE, HE ONCE AGAIN LOOKED UP AT THE BOYS AND SAID, "IT SURE ISN'T VERY REALISTIC, IS IT? BUT, I'M STANDING HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU THAT STORY GIVES ME A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR GOD TO GIVE UP HIS SON FOR ME. YOU SEE --- I WAS THAT FATHER AND YOUR PASTOR IS MY
SON'S FRIEND."

Were you in the same situation, who would you save?

 I am thankful, God chose us.

A Little Help Here?

Very little is said of Simon of Cyrene in the bible. In fact, he is only mentioned in 3 of the 4 gospels. What is mentioned of him consists of only a few lines. Simon is the man pulled from the crowds by the Romans and forced to help Jesus carry his cross. As a child, and as an adult, this always struck me as odd—Jesus was God and knew He needed to die on the cross for our salvation, but why did He need help getting there? The more I think about this the more I think that Simon of Cyrene was placed there not so much for Jesus but for us. It is an example to us that no matter how heavy the cross or burden, God will send us help.

I also think it is a reminder to us to lend a hand to others we see struggling with their crosses. Pope Francis said that our lives as Christians aren’t fulfilled until we accept the cross of others. In fact, those are often the heaviest crosses. The cross Jesus carried was for our sins, not His. The cross Simon carried was Jesus', not his. Even when we shoulder these burdens, we'll still fall--just as Jesus did two more times on his road to the cross, even with Simon's help. However, God will continue to give us the strength to keep going. 

The picture below is from http://sheridanlutheran.org/2014/04/simon-of-cyrene/. The painting visualizes how I imagine God assisting us. Like Simon, He supports us, arm in arm, until the end of whatever difficult road we are travelling.

What do You See?

Is this the face of God or a criminal?

In the Sixth Station of the Cross, Veronica wipes the bloodied and battered face of Jesus. There are many messages to take from this story. On the surface, this is a clear message from God that, like Veronica, we are called to take care of others, especially those that are hurt or sick. Consider some other factors to look for a deeper a message.

Although we know now, looking back from the 21^st century, that Jesus was God, this was not the majority view at the time of his crucifixion. In fact, it was a large crowd of people that convinced Pilate to sentence Jesus to death. Therefore, He would have been viewed by many who watched his journey with the cross as a criminal—a criminal so terrible that He was to endure death on a cross. No one would want to be associated with Him. However, Veronica pushed through the crowd to run towards Him and not away from Him. Although His face had been disfigured, she still saw it as the face of God.

After this reflection, I think God is trying to tell us to embrace the problems in our lives. Although things may appear ugly or bleak, we must run towards them, not away from them and look for God in ALL things. When others struggle with their problems, like Veronica, we should offer them comfort--the same comfort we find in God.  

A Man for Others

No matter how well we think we know the plan, we must always remember only God KNOWS the plan. This past week I was faithfully reflecting on one station of the cross, like I had promised I would in last week’s blog. All week I read different accounts of Jesus being Condemned to Death. I was prepared to write about how I initially thought Pilate was getting more blame than he deserved (he did after all “wash his hands” of the event). I was also prepared to write about how I thought the reason he is vilified is that God is sending a message to all who have the power to act but don’t or to those who do act but act under public pressure and not for what is right.  

That changed when a parent sent me the following video about CKS Alum and current Jesuit sophomore, Joe Edgar, speaking about friendship: http://www.jesuittampa.org/cf_media/index.cfm?obj=2670. In this video, he speaks about his pairing with a younger CKS student through our Kindergarten Buddy program, where 8^th grade students sit with younger students at school mass and participate with each other in several activities throughout the school year. Many years ago, when the program first started it was a way to give our wiggliest worms in Mass an older student to sit next to and give our (sometimes) hardest to engage group of students a reason to be engaged. The program quickly blossomed, activities outside of school mass were planned with kindergarteners and their buddies (Christmas celebrations, Valentine’s Day, and graham cracker parties). It gave the younger students a big brother or sister at the school as a role model and it gave the older students a greater sense of responsibility.

Watching the video, you can see how both students can grow from the experience. As an educator, the video also shows me that some of the most powerful lessons we teach our children happen outside of the “academic” curriculum. I think about how many experiences—inside and out of school—Joe must have experienced in 16 years. From all of them, he wrote about his buddy, Jake. My take away: everything we do in school—from what we teach to the way we respond to questions and even the way we plan recess—is an opportunity to impact the life of a child. Therefore, unlike Pilate who was condemned for not taking action to prevent the condemning of Jesus, we must take the actions necessary to create meaningful educational experiences for our students. 

Living the Stations

Last Friday I attended the living Stations of the Cross performed by our CKS students. As I was prayerfully reflecting before it began, I realized I couldn't remember the number of Stations of the Cross. I thought 10, but when the 10^th station started I knew  that wasn't right. I figured that guess was probably inspired by the number of Commandments.  I then thought 12 must be the end. I felt confident at the conclusion of that station but was quickly proved wrong when the 13^th started. I realized, again, I was confusing biblical numbers, and 12 is better suited for apostles or tribes of Israel. My wait was over after the completion of the 14^th Station. If you need a refresher, these are the 14 Stations as listed at http://www.loyolapress.com/stations-of-the-cross.htm:

1. Jesus Is Condemned to Death.
2. Jesus Takes Up His Cross.
3. Jesus Falls the First Time. 
4. Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother. 
5. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross. 
6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus. 
7. Jesus Falls a Second Time. 
8. Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem. 
9. Jesus Falls the Third Time. 
10. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments.
11. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross. 
12. Jesus Dies on the Cross. 
13. Jesus Is Taken Down From the Cross. 
14. Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb. 

More important than the number, though, is the journey they represent. These 14 snapshots from Jesus’ condemnation to death on a cross also represent different parts of our lives and faith journey. Lent is a fitting time to reflect on the Way of the Cross. Over the next few weeks, leading up to Holy Week, I challenged the students to pick one Station of the Cross each week, reflect on what it meant for Jesus, what it means in their own lives, and how it can help them better love God. I plan to make this journey with our students, and I will update you the next few weeks on my progress.