We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
“From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”* which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” There were many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him” Matthew 27:45-55
“It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last. The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, “This man was innocent beyond doubt.” When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events” Luke 23:44-50
It is the hour of Divine Mercy. The hour that Jesus commended His Spirit to the Lord, drew His final breath, and died. I cannot help, as I sit here in the room that we sat with Mimi as she awaited the moment she would draw her final breath and commend her spirit to the Lord, but think of my beloved grandmother.
This was our special hour. Any day that I was at home over the past 6 years, I would walk into Mimi’s sanctuary while she was watching the 700 club, and ask if she wanted to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. “Yes” was almost always her answer. There were probably a total of 3 or 4 times in 6 years that she said no, because of exhaustion or just feeling lousy. She usually did not feel very well at all when I asked, but she loved praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and I loved praying it with her.
She and I would sit together and turn a 5 minute prayer, into a 30 minute (at least) devotional to the Mercy of Jesus, interceding for anyone and everyone we could think of. I can still see her in front of me, eyes closed, face gently lifted toward Heaven or bowed in humble request, as she was invisibly bathed with the Divine Mercy flowing from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Heart that Loved Mimi so much, He died of it.
I remember the last time I prayed the chaplet with Mimi on earth. It was the day she passed away, and God gave me the gift of knowing somehow that this was our last one together. I held her hand and prayed the prayers she no longer could utter, and I cried and thanked God for that gift.
On this Good Friday, the thought of death is unavoidable. We have to look at it if we want to look at Jesus. We have to look at ourselves, mocking Him, spitting at Him, cursing Him. We have to take responsibility for our part in His death. We all played a part.
And then we have to listen as Jesus says from the cross “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. There it is, His Divine Mercy, coming always to our rescue. Always interceding for us before the Heavenly Father, that we might be immersed in the ocean of His Mercy, and be washed clean of our sins. For however long we spend repenting of our sins and remembering how we are responsible for His death, let us spend double that time at least reflecting upon His tender compassion, and Divine Mercy, that brought about our salvation.
Love is stronger than death. His Mercy is greater and more powerful than any evil or sin that we could ever commit or imagine. We weep with His Mother at the Cross, for it is the spotless Lamb of God Who bleeds for Love of us up there in pure agony. We want Jesus never to have to die, we want Him to stay with us. I wanted Mimi to stay with us, I want to see her and pray the Divine Mercy chaplet with her on this Good Friday. But that is only seeing Jesus’ death, and Mimi’s, with human eyes. Jesus was set free the moment He died. Free of His pain, His suffering, His loneliness. His suffering, which is so painful to look at, or think about, produced more fruit than any miracle or word He ever uttered in His ministry. Our salvation is His gift to us through His Passion, death and Resurrection. And, by the grace of God, we know the end of the story. Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again.
I did pray the Chaplet with Mimi today. I believe her prayers were united with mine, and that she now, more than ever before, implores the Divine Mercy of Jesus for the world and all those she prayed for without fail here on earth every day. When she drew her final breath, she was set free, too. Free of her pain, her sorrows, her loneliness. She, as my momma said today, gets to experience “Easter unfiltered”. All of the time, for eternity. That is what Jesus’ death, and the Divine Mercy, has done for her and for each one of us. We just have to ask for it.
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| “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” John 12:24 |
http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm
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