Good Friday In Chartres (Remembered)

I love the cross.

Not because of the horror of torture.

Not because of way that innocent people end up suffering horribly.

Not because death appeals to me. NO!

I love the cross because God’s love has never more evident than when God allowed Godself to fully experience the worst of what humans do to each other, as well as horrific physical, emotional, and spiritual pain.

God’s courage to live through suffering–unto death strangely fills me with comfort, hope, and the desire to be more like Jesus.

Scriptural Touchstones
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? Psalms 22:1

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me.” Isaiah 49:14

At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Mark 15: 34 & Matthew 27:46, all NRSV

My prayer

God, my heart breaks in two as I consider your suffering on the cross—and in the bodies and lives of those who inhabit Your world. I don’t understand. But I do love You, Jill

Invitation to prayer

Choose a cross that either attracts or repels you. Meditate on the messages it is communicating to you. Let it connect you with God’s love for you personally. Then, let it connect you to God’s love for all humanity, especially in this time of suffering.

Images
Some of the many crosses found in the Chartres Cathedral and used as part of the liturgical life of the parish. The manuscript crucifixion is from Orléans BM144 but and was originally used at Chartres.