Good Friday

Good Friday is a day of mourning.  In the small town in Mexico where I was born, people don’t work, watch TV, listen to music…  The entire day is spent in silence, prayer, fasting- in mourning the death of our beloved Jesus.  This year I decided to pay tribute to my old traditions and took the day off from work to silence my mind and to reflect on the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.  My entire morning was spent in deep meditation followed by participating in the service of adoring the cross.  While I contemplated the cross I remembered a story I once heard about a naïve, little tree who continuously asked God to use him for something extremely important.  Due to the persistent petition, God ordered the tree be cut down and asked a carpenter to make a cross from the wood.  The naïve, little tree became the cross Jesus carried and was finally nailed onto.  Am pretty sure the naïve, little tree (in his desire for importance) did not picture carrying Jesus or becoming the symbol of salvation; yet, God saw his potential and gave him a huge role.  I think most of the time our petitions are too small for us and God knowing our needs and potential provides according to His will (smile).  He’s just a generous God who always gives way more than we can possibly anticipate. 

Later that afternoon I joined my RCIA team, students and godparents to pray the Stations of the Cross at the beach while the sun set.  Beforehand three of us went to the beach and posted the fourteen stations on the sand spread on a mile long fragment of the beach.  Each of our students carried the cross to one of the stations where we stopped reflected on the station in silence and then with some corresponding hymns.  The experience was beyond beautiful! It took us about three hours to pray all the stations, and we watched as the sky changed from day, to sunset, to night with bright stars.  The calming sound of the waves and the cool wind just seduced us into deeper prayer.  Some people cried, some laughed and all were moved by the peace of our Lord.  We came to the beach and encountered God in all of His radiance and glory. 

We have a student with special needs and watching him carry the cross was so beyond moving.  His parents and family joined us and afterwards his mom and sister were moved to tears by the experience.  God truly is AMAZING and speaks to all of us- if we just listen.  More importantly He uses all of us no matter our capacity- to God we are all important and equally valuable.