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| September 11, 2001 |
As the body of Jesus is placed in the arms of his Mother there is an echo of his infancy in the cave of Bethlehem. Here there is an invitation to prayer - to a deep silence - to ponder with Mary the magnitude of Jesus' self-gift.
Still, even in the face of so much given, we persist in an even mocking unbelief! Do we reject Jesus-the-Crucified because we cannot comprehend being loved so unspeakably and radically? "You don't even know me, " says the stunned receiver of a great gift, possibly thinking of his or her unworthiness.
On September 11, 2001, rescuers ran up into the flaming towers of the World Trade Center even as the buildings collapsed. We can image that those who survive by the self-gift of others might at least feel, "Am I worth the sacrifice?
And so I can ask Mary, "May I sit with you awhile, here beneath the cross? May I hold the body of Jesus, resting in your lap? May I speak to Jesus in intimacy now, my prayer awake, aware and deeply felt?
And so I can ask Mary, "May I sit with you awhile, here beneath the cross? May I hold the body of Jesus, resting in your lap? May I speak to Jesus in intimacy now, my prayer awake, aware and deeply felt?
But however unpopular the thought, I must be sure to speak to him of sin too, because when Jesus loves, he loves by forgiving.
Our Father Who Art in Heaven...
Hail Mary, full of grace...
Glory be to the Father...
