Crosses
And calling the multitude together with his disciples, he said to them: If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it. Mark 8:34,35
There is that place
where heaven and earth come together,
and the world is renewed
in the pain and suffering
of one
who gave his all for love.
O Jesus,
teach me to bear my cross
with the same love.
When I stumble carrying it,
let me realize it is your hands
that help me stand back up,
readjust the weight,
and get ready to carry it again.
O Jesus,
for love of you,
teach me to love my cross,
and that road that brings me closer to you,
and at last,
when I stand before you,
may I find that it is not a cross that I am carrying,
but a victor's crown
to lay down at your feet
all for love.
On the Road to Jerusalem One Friday in Spring
Those coming into the city
may have wondered about the small group
on the hill,
wondered idly about who was being executed
so close to the sabbath,
and at the feast-time, too.
Perhaps they shuddered at the thought
of such a shameful death
coming to them or theirs.
Perhaps they felt pity
that anyone would die that way.
Perhaps they stopped a moment to taunt.
Did they notice
a knot of women
standing close,
oblivious to the soldiers,
or to the mockers,
lost in their grief,
waiting?
Did they notice
how the sky darkened,
as if even the heavens
longed to weep?