All of Lent we have been waiting for Good Friday. It’s here and we have been waiting for this day. The day that Christ died for our sins. The day when all seemed lost to the followers of Jesus. Sorrow and dispair filled their broken hearts. In the meantime God was at work. The temple curtain in Jerusalem was torn apart. There was an eclipse. Drama was everywhere, but not in Heaven.
I remember the nuns at Saint Aloysius School in West Allis, Wisconsin would lament why children couldn’t get along. Of course it came with the usual writing of the words. “I will not fight in school.” or ” I will not talk in class”. Written 500 times. It was punctuated by telling our parents and things would clear up in a hurry. Drama for a child.
Sometime in the 1950’s my grandfather, Ted Bickel, went on a business trip to Dodge City, KS. In an antique store he purchased an old Rosary. It was enormous over 27 inches long. It is beautiful. It’s made of brass and wood and probably at one time belonged to a member of a religious order. It is still so well made that it has lasted this long. I often think of the prayers of all the people that touched that Rosary and had prayed over the years. It is especially comforting that it might have been a religious order. All those holy people. Also my grandfather and the countless others that touched and prayed using this Rosary.
I have been offering at least one Rosary a day for the people of Ukraine. It is ironic that the world has not learned the lesson of the slaughter of innocent human beings. Today, meditating on Good Friday, I thought of the fear of these people and the fear Our Lord must have felt. He knew that he was going to die and He asked the Father to let this cup pass. Jesus sweat blood. Sometimes we forget how human Jesus was sometimes. The pain and fears He had were real. They are for us as well.
Observing the events of the day and the events of Jesus life and death, leaves me feeling helpless and sad. The only thing left for us to do is pray. We are helpless without it .The Rosary is only part of our prayer life.
Both my old Church, Saint Paul’s, in Saint Petersburg and my new parish is Tulsa, The Church of Saint Mary’s, offers multiple opportunities for the sacrament of Reconciliation and Adoration. Now is the time. Today is the day.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the suffering people of the Ukraine and Russia. Pray for Peace.
