Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Even to the Son of God the inevitable comes. Death is the final enemy that every human being must face. The final words that are heard from the Cross, the altar of Jesus' sacrifice, Jesus' Eucharist, speak to us of his victory, his fulfilling his mission. Jesus has defeated the sin begun in the Garden of Eden. Those final words of the Bethlehem child are a son's prodigal moment to his Father: "Father, I am coming home to you with all the sins of past and future generations removed by my commitment to your will. Now I die to show my love for you and to shall all sinners my love for them."
Jesus' commending his life, his spirit to the Father is for all humankind the most convincing sign that we die as we live. Throughout his life, Jesus lived and taught the meaning of love and submission to the Father's will. He was always giving himself to God, his Father. These words of a suffering and loving Son, this final thought from a martyr's lips remind us that the will of God the Father remains always and forever a duty for us to fulfill -- no matter the cost! It is love, it is obedience that speaks to each of us. Jesus speaks to the Father and Jesus continues to instruct the wandering sheep of his flock: we are, all of us, called to surrender our wills to the Father.
Each time a priest says the Eucharistic Liturgy's words of consecration and raises up the Body and Blood of Calvary's victim, we witness the moment of his complete and total surrender to the Father's will. In that moment when he is raised up above our altars, we witness what Fr. Cessario presents as "the only option" for living. Jesus is the perfect commitment to the Father's will.
This Jesus is dead. Your Jesus has died. There are no other words from him to you Never forget now what he said earlier to the disciples at the Last Supper: "... I have called you friends." What does he mean by this word we hear so often used? In his mind a friend is a person to whom he had entrusted a particular, priceless treasure: you are my friend "because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father" (Jn 15:15). And he continues: You did not choose me but I chose you" (v 16).
Today as you recall his final words, realize the he chooses you not once but each day and in every breath of your life. He never abandons you. He chooses you to die with him daily, to offer yourself to the Father in destroying the sin in your life. His final words should remind you, as he reminded his disciple friends, that you should more than hear his words. You should be what St. James the Apostle taught: be doers of the word.
Each time you think of Jesus Christ, each time you pray to the Father, recall these final words of your Redeemer: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Each day "lift high the cross" and proclaim the love of Jesus Christ.
In closing, as mentioned in the introductory presentation of the seven last words of the Crucified Jesus, this blogger's reflections were inspired by the recently published words of Father Romanus Cessario, a Domincan priest and teacher at the Archdiocese of Boston's seminary. His words were delivered on the last Good Friday at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City and have been published by Magnificat, the well-known Catholic publication of daily reflections and prayer. The title of Father Cessario's work is The Seven Last Words of Jesus, published in February, 2009. Father Cessario's work is worth having as a "vade mecum" for each Holy Week.
Jesus' commending his life, his spirit to the Father is for all humankind the most convincing sign that we die as we live. Throughout his life, Jesus lived and taught the meaning of love and submission to the Father's will. He was always giving himself to God, his Father. These words of a suffering and loving Son, this final thought from a martyr's lips remind us that the will of God the Father remains always and forever a duty for us to fulfill -- no matter the cost! It is love, it is obedience that speaks to each of us. Jesus speaks to the Father and Jesus continues to instruct the wandering sheep of his flock: we are, all of us, called to surrender our wills to the Father.
Each time a priest says the Eucharistic Liturgy's words of consecration and raises up the Body and Blood of Calvary's victim, we witness the moment of his complete and total surrender to the Father's will. In that moment when he is raised up above our altars, we witness what Fr. Cessario presents as "the only option" for living. Jesus is the perfect commitment to the Father's will.
This Jesus is dead. Your Jesus has died. There are no other words from him to you Never forget now what he said earlier to the disciples at the Last Supper: "... I have called you friends." What does he mean by this word we hear so often used? In his mind a friend is a person to whom he had entrusted a particular, priceless treasure: you are my friend "because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father" (Jn 15:15). And he continues: You did not choose me but I chose you" (v 16).
Today as you recall his final words, realize the he chooses you not once but each day and in every breath of your life. He never abandons you. He chooses you to die with him daily, to offer yourself to the Father in destroying the sin in your life. His final words should remind you, as he reminded his disciple friends, that you should more than hear his words. You should be what St. James the Apostle taught: be doers of the word.
Each time you think of Jesus Christ, each time you pray to the Father, recall these final words of your Redeemer: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Each day "lift high the cross" and proclaim the love of Jesus Christ.
In closing, as mentioned in the introductory presentation of the seven last words of the Crucified Jesus, this blogger's reflections were inspired by the recently published words of Father Romanus Cessario, a Domincan priest and teacher at the Archdiocese of Boston's seminary. His words were delivered on the last Good Friday at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City and have been published by Magnificat, the well-known Catholic publication of daily reflections and prayer. The title of Father Cessario's work is The Seven Last Words of Jesus, published in February, 2009. Father Cessario's work is worth having as a "vade mecum" for each Holy Week.
