Jesus Reached for the Cross

by Mary Ann Halloran

A few years ago, Mike and I went on a 2-week pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Rome, and Lourdes. All three places were amazing.

At Lourdes, there are beautiful Stations of the Cross statues that are life-size. The second station pictured here, when “Jesus takes up his cross,” really touched me.

What touched me about it was how He was reaching for His cross. He knew this was the will of His Father and what He was to do out of love for us all. To me, Jesus looked as if He were saying, “Let's get on with it.”

He opened His arms and took hold of His cross. He embraced it, carried it up the hill, was nailed to it, hung on it for three hours, and died for us. It really caused me to meditate on Jesus’s openness to the Father's will.

In this season of Lent, let’s take time to meditate on what Jesus truly did for us. How do I respond to His great love? Maybe this image will speak to you as you gaze on it and pray.

• How do I respond to my crosses in life?

• Do I run from them?

• Cry and whine about them?

• Or am I able to respond as Jesus did with arms reaching for the cross?

I am praying for you.

Mary Ann/Mother Hen