So Lent is over, and Easter is here. He has Risen!!
The question is, did you grow during Lent? Did you become the person God designed you to be? Did you ready yourself for the greatest of all sacrifices?
Around here we did some growing for sure. It may not be exactly in line with spiritual growth, but it is definitely saying, "Yes" to God's plan and it is definitely growth.
The human kind
Yup that's right, over the next few months I will for the third time (in four years for those keeping track) get fairly fat, eat probably more than I should, have enviable breasts and eventually, around September 5 my doctor says, pop out our third child.
A new child is an enormous blessing and a true gift from God. Telling people for the third time that you are gonna get fat is not really all that exciting.
But while I am not excited about the fat part, I am seriously thrilled about the baby part. I would do just about anything for this little human being growing inside of me, gain any number of pounds, wear the ugliest maternity clothes ever, keep my head almost permanently in a toilet bowl for 14 weeks, feel like passing out every time I stand up and not have anywhere close to the amount of energy required to entertain a 2.5 and 1.5 year old.
You can never quite be ready for the adventure of a new child, but we sure are excited!
As in the past, we will take bribes for naming rights. We gotta pay the bills somehow!
God Bless!
Hannah
The (Pregnant) Farmer's Wife
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Stations part 5
Oh my, we have arrived finally at the fifth part of the stations. I don't know about you, but my Facebook wall turned a little crazy yesterday. There were a lot of red equal signs and a lot of back and forth discussion about equality and love. A lawyer friend of mine pointed out the case in front of the supreme court has nothing to do with love and everything to do with the constitutionality of a voter passed amendment in California. It is funny to me though because marriage has nothing to do with equality and very little to do with how the world defines love either.
Leron and I absolutely love each other. This love is not the puppy kind of feel good thing society tries to tell us is love. This is the love demonstrated by love incarnate himself, Jesus Christ. This is the love that means even on days when I can hardly look at you because you are driving me crazy, I would still die for you because you are that important to me. I would die for you because I love you and want to do that for you. I would die for you and it doesn't really matter to me if you would die for me in return. Our marriage is not about equality either. We both know we must give 100%, not 50% each, in order for our marriage to work. Above all, our marriage is a sacrament, defined and regulated by The Church not the government.
This may seem like a misplaced rant for a blog post about the 12, 13 and 14th stations but I promise it fits in, if only in my slightly deranged mind. I also feel the need to defend myself right here and say I am not a bigot nor am I afraid of people with homosexual tendencies. I am not sure if homosexuality is something a person is born with. I am really torn on this one because I know God created us male and female with a very specific purpose in mind, to procreate. Regardless if someone is born with homosexual tendencies or heterosexual tendencies, I also believe sexual acts outside of a sacramental marriage are sinful, possibly sinful on a mortal, or death to the soul, level. I think a heterosexual couple living together engaging in sexual acts is not living the life God intended for us to live any more than a homosexual couple in the same situation or a divorced person who has been remarried. What is important when regarding popular culture and their current agenda is to recognize what is truth, what is opinion and what is emotion. When you can sort through those things, it all becomes a little easier to deal with.
Station 12: Jesus Dies on the Cross
I promised my marriage "equality" rant would tie in, so here it goes. Jesus died. He died for you and for me and for everyone before Him and us and after us. He died for a crime he absolutely didn't commit (I mean really how could he break the laws he set forth??) He died because he made people uncomfortable and telling them they were behaving wrongly. He died knowing he would save the same people that would put him back on that cross each and every day. And we do. We sin and drive those nails in time and time and time again. You would think we would learn what he meant when he told us to LOVE!!
So we are stubborn humans really set in our ways. We don't like to hear that we are wrong or that we should be doing it differently. We don't like to be confronted with the truth because once we know the truth we are required to change our way of life. In Jesus' death he gave us new life, but he also showed us how to live and how to die. In order to die well, you must live well. Jesus demonstrated this clearly. It doesn't matter the manner of death, or how unjust it may be. If you live well, you will die well. He also showed us who we should have with us while we live and when we die. At the foot of the cross with Jesus were his mother Mary and his beloved disciple John.
Mary represents the church. This is both the place and the people that make up the church. We should carry the church with us every day. The easiest way to carry the church with us every day is to be the church for others. John represents the Gospel. We are to live and preach the gospel every day. A favorite quote of mine from Saint Francis of Assisi is, "Preach the Gospel always, if necessary use words." It is this beautiful simplicity for our lives that means we are living well.
Station 13: Jesus' body is handed over to his mother
I just explained how Mary is the church. Jesus forever rests in the lap of the church. If you want to find him, find the church. The church is not a building. We are the church. We need to have Jesus resting within us all the time so people can find him easily.
Station 14: Jesus is laid in the tomb
I have heard a lot about the two men who prepared Jesus' body for burial. How these men risked their lives because they were secret disciples. But that is not what I want to focus on in this station. After all, these station are about how you are to live your life as evidenced by Jesus' death.
Think of Jesus entering that tomb dead and on the third day coming out alive. Now consider yourself, if you could take all of the things that make you dead on the inside, dead to love, dead to life, and lay them somewhere and emerge without those things and full of life, what would those things be??
Take the things in your life and bury them in the tomb with Jesus on Friday. Cast them off. Let. Them. GO! Rise a clean new creation, remade in God's infinite love, this Easter. Rise to new life with Jesus.
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
Leron and I absolutely love each other. This love is not the puppy kind of feel good thing society tries to tell us is love. This is the love demonstrated by love incarnate himself, Jesus Christ. This is the love that means even on days when I can hardly look at you because you are driving me crazy, I would still die for you because you are that important to me. I would die for you because I love you and want to do that for you. I would die for you and it doesn't really matter to me if you would die for me in return. Our marriage is not about equality either. We both know we must give 100%, not 50% each, in order for our marriage to work. Above all, our marriage is a sacrament, defined and regulated by The Church not the government.
This may seem like a misplaced rant for a blog post about the 12, 13 and 14th stations but I promise it fits in, if only in my slightly deranged mind. I also feel the need to defend myself right here and say I am not a bigot nor am I afraid of people with homosexual tendencies. I am not sure if homosexuality is something a person is born with. I am really torn on this one because I know God created us male and female with a very specific purpose in mind, to procreate. Regardless if someone is born with homosexual tendencies or heterosexual tendencies, I also believe sexual acts outside of a sacramental marriage are sinful, possibly sinful on a mortal, or death to the soul, level. I think a heterosexual couple living together engaging in sexual acts is not living the life God intended for us to live any more than a homosexual couple in the same situation or a divorced person who has been remarried. What is important when regarding popular culture and their current agenda is to recognize what is truth, what is opinion and what is emotion. When you can sort through those things, it all becomes a little easier to deal with.
Station 12: Jesus Dies on the Cross
I promised my marriage "equality" rant would tie in, so here it goes. Jesus died. He died for you and for me and for everyone before Him and us and after us. He died for a crime he absolutely didn't commit (I mean really how could he break the laws he set forth??) He died because he made people uncomfortable and telling them they were behaving wrongly. He died knowing he would save the same people that would put him back on that cross each and every day. And we do. We sin and drive those nails in time and time and time again. You would think we would learn what he meant when he told us to LOVE!!
So we are stubborn humans really set in our ways. We don't like to hear that we are wrong or that we should be doing it differently. We don't like to be confronted with the truth because once we know the truth we are required to change our way of life. In Jesus' death he gave us new life, but he also showed us how to live and how to die. In order to die well, you must live well. Jesus demonstrated this clearly. It doesn't matter the manner of death, or how unjust it may be. If you live well, you will die well. He also showed us who we should have with us while we live and when we die. At the foot of the cross with Jesus were his mother Mary and his beloved disciple John.
Mary represents the church. This is both the place and the people that make up the church. We should carry the church with us every day. The easiest way to carry the church with us every day is to be the church for others. John represents the Gospel. We are to live and preach the gospel every day. A favorite quote of mine from Saint Francis of Assisi is, "Preach the Gospel always, if necessary use words." It is this beautiful simplicity for our lives that means we are living well.
Station 13: Jesus' body is handed over to his mother
I just explained how Mary is the church. Jesus forever rests in the lap of the church. If you want to find him, find the church. The church is not a building. We are the church. We need to have Jesus resting within us all the time so people can find him easily.
Station 14: Jesus is laid in the tomb
I have heard a lot about the two men who prepared Jesus' body for burial. How these men risked their lives because they were secret disciples. But that is not what I want to focus on in this station. After all, these station are about how you are to live your life as evidenced by Jesus' death.
Think of Jesus entering that tomb dead and on the third day coming out alive. Now consider yourself, if you could take all of the things that make you dead on the inside, dead to love, dead to life, and lay them somewhere and emerge without those things and full of life, what would those things be??
Take the things in your life and bury them in the tomb with Jesus on Friday. Cast them off. Let. Them. GO! Rise a clean new creation, remade in God's infinite love, this Easter. Rise to new life with Jesus.
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Stations Part 3 & 4
Ok so I have been slightly preoccupied lately. I don't what this time of year is like for you, but as a farmer's wife it is kind of like hurry up and wait. We have to be ready if the weather turns around and starts to actually feel like spring now that the calendar says it is officially spring. But a few days in the 30s has given me some sure fire time to work on this blog again.
I am pulling double duty with part 3 and 4 of the stations, covering stations 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. That will leave us with 12, 13 and 14 during Holy week which seems much more planned than it actually was :)
Station 7: 2nd fall of Jesus
So we already discussed how difficult the situation is that Jesus has found himself in. Wrongly accused, beaten, and carrying his own execution device through a crowd of jeering people who only a few days earlier were cheering and treating him like a king. And if you will remember, station 4, 5, and 6 were the people God gives us in our lives to help us carry our cross. So the question is, why does Jesus fall again after receiving all of this help?
The answer is easy, and I bet you already know it. People here on earth are not enough. Just like Jesus fell the first time because as humans we cannot bear the burden alone, Jesus falls the second time because even with the help of his mother and Veronica restoring his dignity and Simon helping him carry the cross, only with the help of God are we able to carry our burdens.
And again, Jesus gets up again. No matter how many times we fall and fail, with God's help we can always get back up again.
Station 8: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
So here is Jesus. He has fallen twice and seen everyone he really cares to see on his death march. Then he comes upon this group of women who are standing there crying and wailing. Even in his exhausted state he reproaches them. He tells them that crying and wailing is the same as doing nothing and even worse they are giving a bad example to their children.
These women are held in deep contrast with Mary, Veronica and Simon. Those three did what they could. It may not have been much but it was something. The crying women are doing nothing but protecting themselves. By crying that act as if they are offending by what is happening, but they do not do anything about it. They do not speak out, they do not act out, they do not vote to change something, they stand back and wait.
We are called to do what we can to help those around us who face injustices. We don't all have the same gifts or talents, but we can all do something. We also have a responsibility to teach our children to speak out for others whether they be the unborn, the old, the disabled, the poor or any person who has had their dignity stripped from them. Act and your children will learn from your actions, so make sure they are good, just, virtuous actions.
Station 9: Jesus falls for the 3rd time
Is it any wonder he falls again? It is more marvelous to me that he can literally see the hilltop and what waits for him. He is moments away from death and instead of laying down in the street and waiting for it to come to him, he stands back up, he carries his cross a little further and he looks death in the face.
Two lessons from this one. 1- Get up even when what is in front of you looks worse than what you have just come from. 2- Don't fear or run from death. Embrace death because it brings us to our finish line, a finish line that we will never reach here on Earth.
Station 10: Jesus is Stripped of his clothes
This was done to humiliate him. He had a little dignity left and the soliders, in their desire to inflict humiliation on those sentenced to the type of death Jesus was, wanted to strip him of that little bit too. When we are stripped of our dignity, we require strength to endure it. When we strip someone else of their dignity, we require forgiveness to undo it.
There is an interesting second part to this station that I had never heard before the parish mission. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve are naked until they eat the fruit of the tree. In the loss of their innocence, they put on clothing to cover themselves. They are trying to hide the marks of guilt.
In the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus goes to pray before he is handed over, a man runs away from the skirmish naked. And of course on the cross Jesus is exposed completely naked. This loss of clothing is an uncovering of the guilt and a restoration of innocence.
The need for Jesus as savior originated during the fall of man in Genesis, in the Garden of Eden. The salvation of mankind was completed by Jesus's nakedness on the cross.
Station 11: Nailed to the Cross
We know what this station means for Jesus. He is stuck. He can't turn back. There is no where for him to go. Jesus accepted his mission willingly and lovingly. But we sometimes force a similar mission on people who are not willing and cannot lovingly accept their mission. This station for us is all about stereotypes. When we stereotype someone, we do not let them change. When we do this, we are nailing them to a cross.
We have all been unfairly nailed to a cross at some time in our lives. Someone made a snap judgement of us and never changed their mind. Or a single action we did as a teenager marked us for the rest of our life. Whether the title be cheater, stupid, liar, drama queen, immature, these titles may have been accurate then, but are far from accurate now.
We need to give people a chance to change before branding them with a title for life.
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
I am pulling double duty with part 3 and 4 of the stations, covering stations 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. That will leave us with 12, 13 and 14 during Holy week which seems much more planned than it actually was :)
Station 7: 2nd fall of Jesus
So we already discussed how difficult the situation is that Jesus has found himself in. Wrongly accused, beaten, and carrying his own execution device through a crowd of jeering people who only a few days earlier were cheering and treating him like a king. And if you will remember, station 4, 5, and 6 were the people God gives us in our lives to help us carry our cross. So the question is, why does Jesus fall again after receiving all of this help?
The answer is easy, and I bet you already know it. People here on earth are not enough. Just like Jesus fell the first time because as humans we cannot bear the burden alone, Jesus falls the second time because even with the help of his mother and Veronica restoring his dignity and Simon helping him carry the cross, only with the help of God are we able to carry our burdens.
And again, Jesus gets up again. No matter how many times we fall and fail, with God's help we can always get back up again.
Station 8: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
So here is Jesus. He has fallen twice and seen everyone he really cares to see on his death march. Then he comes upon this group of women who are standing there crying and wailing. Even in his exhausted state he reproaches them. He tells them that crying and wailing is the same as doing nothing and even worse they are giving a bad example to their children.
These women are held in deep contrast with Mary, Veronica and Simon. Those three did what they could. It may not have been much but it was something. The crying women are doing nothing but protecting themselves. By crying that act as if they are offending by what is happening, but they do not do anything about it. They do not speak out, they do not act out, they do not vote to change something, they stand back and wait.
We are called to do what we can to help those around us who face injustices. We don't all have the same gifts or talents, but we can all do something. We also have a responsibility to teach our children to speak out for others whether they be the unborn, the old, the disabled, the poor or any person who has had their dignity stripped from them. Act and your children will learn from your actions, so make sure they are good, just, virtuous actions.
Station 9: Jesus falls for the 3rd time
Is it any wonder he falls again? It is more marvelous to me that he can literally see the hilltop and what waits for him. He is moments away from death and instead of laying down in the street and waiting for it to come to him, he stands back up, he carries his cross a little further and he looks death in the face.
Two lessons from this one. 1- Get up even when what is in front of you looks worse than what you have just come from. 2- Don't fear or run from death. Embrace death because it brings us to our finish line, a finish line that we will never reach here on Earth.
Station 10: Jesus is Stripped of his clothes
This was done to humiliate him. He had a little dignity left and the soliders, in their desire to inflict humiliation on those sentenced to the type of death Jesus was, wanted to strip him of that little bit too. When we are stripped of our dignity, we require strength to endure it. When we strip someone else of their dignity, we require forgiveness to undo it.
There is an interesting second part to this station that I had never heard before the parish mission. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve are naked until they eat the fruit of the tree. In the loss of their innocence, they put on clothing to cover themselves. They are trying to hide the marks of guilt.
In the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus goes to pray before he is handed over, a man runs away from the skirmish naked. And of course on the cross Jesus is exposed completely naked. This loss of clothing is an uncovering of the guilt and a restoration of innocence.
The need for Jesus as savior originated during the fall of man in Genesis, in the Garden of Eden. The salvation of mankind was completed by Jesus's nakedness on the cross.
Station 11: Nailed to the Cross
We know what this station means for Jesus. He is stuck. He can't turn back. There is no where for him to go. Jesus accepted his mission willingly and lovingly. But we sometimes force a similar mission on people who are not willing and cannot lovingly accept their mission. This station for us is all about stereotypes. When we stereotype someone, we do not let them change. When we do this, we are nailing them to a cross.
We have all been unfairly nailed to a cross at some time in our lives. Someone made a snap judgement of us and never changed their mind. Or a single action we did as a teenager marked us for the rest of our life. Whether the title be cheater, stupid, liar, drama queen, immature, these titles may have been accurate then, but are far from accurate now.
We need to give people a chance to change before branding them with a title for life.
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
Friday, March 8, 2013
Part 2: How God Helps
So in the first part of a different take on the Stations of the Cross, the first 3 stations remind us of our human failings. In Part 2, we will discuss how God helps us.
God knows we will struggle. He expects it. He even invites it in order to make us ready to accept Him in our lives. Just think of how thankful you are at the end of a rough day that you survived it and get to try again the next day, we use struggle to help us grow. Sometimes this struggle is too much for us to bear alone. God is so great that although he recognizes the value of struggle in our lives he loves us enough to not let us struggle by ourselves.
Station 4: Jesus meets His mother
Mom's possess a magic power. Their kiss can heal a 2 year old's wound. Their hug can mend a teenager's broken heart. Their affirming words can lift up a wandering 20 something. Their presence can calm a child no matter how old. We all have a mother so we know what a mother means. Just so you know, I have the best mother out there but I am sure yours is pretty great too!
I have been in some pretty rough places in life. Looking back some seem pretty petty now but would earth shattering then. Others still seem like quite a big deal, and probably always will. My mom was there for me in whatever way was needed. She told me I would find love even though my heart was broken. She gave me a hug when I had a rough day. She told me everything is going to be alright when I was holding a 4 month old baby in one hand and a positive pregnancy test in the other. Boy am I glad that God invented mothers. And I am also very intimidated about the fact that I have now inherited such a huge responsibility (but that will be a post for another day).
Jesus meets his mother along the way just like we meet our mothers along the way of life. They lift us up. Encourage us. Help us. Give us a warm smile and tell us everything will be ok. Pray and be thankful for your mother!
Station 5: Simon helps carry the cross
Now this was not exactly a willing participant and sometimes those who help us carry our cross are not super willing either, but he still stepped in and helped. He physically took the burden off Jesus' shoulders and put it on his own. We need to be willing to look around us and see how we can carry someone else's cross for them. And we need to let someone help us carry ours if they offer.
Who is helping carry your cross? Your husband helps with the "burden" of caring for the kids. I know how thankful I am to see Leron at the end of the day and hand the kids over for just a little alone time. What about friends or neighbors? How about that wonderful mother-in-law who willingly watches the kids anytime that is needed. Or a doctor that helps cure your disease or that medicine that has made you feel human again. How about a good friend who invited you over just to chat or grab some coffee. Little helps are out there all the time. Recognize them, be thankful for them and be one yourself.
Station 6: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
What an absolutely beautiful story. A woman, who we really know nothing about, emerges from the crowd that has gathered to watch Jesus carry his cross. She goes to Jesus who is covered in blood and sweat. He is exhausted. Remembering that Jesus is fully human, you can only assume what you would feel in a similar situation. He has been wrongly accused, vilified less than a week after he was received like a king, he has been beaten to within an inch of his life, he has been forced into the humiliation of carrying his own execution tool through a crowd on a Friday afternoon. Veronica doesn't curse him. She doesn't spit on him. She doesn't pity him. She cares for him and loves him. She shows this love in the only way she can. She wipes his face. She returns the dignity that has been stripped away with one simple action.
We need to always be mindful of the dignity of others. We need to restore those who have had their dignity stripped away. We need to love and not pity. Veronica didn't have the strength like Simon to take Jesus' burden. She did what she could. We don't all have excess money to give to the poor, sick, or hungry. But we do have prayers, we do have love, we do have a smile and a look in the eyes instead of looking away.
All humans have a dignity that is given by God and should be respected by man. How have you stripped someone of their dignity? How can you repair and restore that dignity? Pray for those who have helped you restore your dignity and be aware of those who need help in the restoration process.
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
God knows we will struggle. He expects it. He even invites it in order to make us ready to accept Him in our lives. Just think of how thankful you are at the end of a rough day that you survived it and get to try again the next day, we use struggle to help us grow. Sometimes this struggle is too much for us to bear alone. God is so great that although he recognizes the value of struggle in our lives he loves us enough to not let us struggle by ourselves.
Station 4: Jesus meets His mother
Mom's possess a magic power. Their kiss can heal a 2 year old's wound. Their hug can mend a teenager's broken heart. Their affirming words can lift up a wandering 20 something. Their presence can calm a child no matter how old. We all have a mother so we know what a mother means. Just so you know, I have the best mother out there but I am sure yours is pretty great too!
I have been in some pretty rough places in life. Looking back some seem pretty petty now but would earth shattering then. Others still seem like quite a big deal, and probably always will. My mom was there for me in whatever way was needed. She told me I would find love even though my heart was broken. She gave me a hug when I had a rough day. She told me everything is going to be alright when I was holding a 4 month old baby in one hand and a positive pregnancy test in the other. Boy am I glad that God invented mothers. And I am also very intimidated about the fact that I have now inherited such a huge responsibility (but that will be a post for another day).
Jesus meets his mother along the way just like we meet our mothers along the way of life. They lift us up. Encourage us. Help us. Give us a warm smile and tell us everything will be ok. Pray and be thankful for your mother!
Station 5: Simon helps carry the cross
Now this was not exactly a willing participant and sometimes those who help us carry our cross are not super willing either, but he still stepped in and helped. He physically took the burden off Jesus' shoulders and put it on his own. We need to be willing to look around us and see how we can carry someone else's cross for them. And we need to let someone help us carry ours if they offer.
Who is helping carry your cross? Your husband helps with the "burden" of caring for the kids. I know how thankful I am to see Leron at the end of the day and hand the kids over for just a little alone time. What about friends or neighbors? How about that wonderful mother-in-law who willingly watches the kids anytime that is needed. Or a doctor that helps cure your disease or that medicine that has made you feel human again. How about a good friend who invited you over just to chat or grab some coffee. Little helps are out there all the time. Recognize them, be thankful for them and be one yourself.
Station 6: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
What an absolutely beautiful story. A woman, who we really know nothing about, emerges from the crowd that has gathered to watch Jesus carry his cross. She goes to Jesus who is covered in blood and sweat. He is exhausted. Remembering that Jesus is fully human, you can only assume what you would feel in a similar situation. He has been wrongly accused, vilified less than a week after he was received like a king, he has been beaten to within an inch of his life, he has been forced into the humiliation of carrying his own execution tool through a crowd on a Friday afternoon. Veronica doesn't curse him. She doesn't spit on him. She doesn't pity him. She cares for him and loves him. She shows this love in the only way she can. She wipes his face. She returns the dignity that has been stripped away with one simple action.
We need to always be mindful of the dignity of others. We need to restore those who have had their dignity stripped away. We need to love and not pity. Veronica didn't have the strength like Simon to take Jesus' burden. She did what she could. We don't all have excess money to give to the poor, sick, or hungry. But we do have prayers, we do have love, we do have a smile and a look in the eyes instead of looking away.
All humans have a dignity that is given by God and should be respected by man. How have you stripped someone of their dignity? How can you repair and restore that dignity? Pray for those who have helped you restore your dignity and be aware of those who need help in the restoration process.
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Stations, Part 1
I had taken a little break from this blog for a short while. I hadn't felt really inspired to write anything recently. I am still not sure I feel totally inspired, but after reading some news online this morning, I was physically repulsed so I had to do something. Amid the various stories, only 1 online news source reported a political story about Obama using the sequester to inflict a negative public opinion of Republicans via a leaked email, 1 had a story about how Mother Theresa wasn't as good as everyone thinks and is really a ploy by the Catholic Church to rally support in trying times of low public opinion, and several reported on how great Chavez is, oh respect for the dead!
It all makes me want to pull my hair out and scream. Yes, truly human reactions to truly human actions. But after screaming a little and counting to 10, I reflected on the amazing parish mission that was held at Saint Louis. We had 3 nights of a great speaker covering 3 topics, the Eucharist, the Beatitudes and the Stations of the Cross. Each night was enlightening but the talk about the Stations of the Cross really spoke to me more than the others. Perhaps because we were in the midst of Lent and the Stations have such a tie to Lent or perhaps because I was guilty of several things discussed, either way or what ever the reason, it was wonderful.
There are 14 stations in the stations of the cross. Each station depicts a stage during the crucifixion and death of Jesus. So it is basically the last moments of Jesus' life, the pinnacle of His mission here on earth, His last act of selflessness to save our souls from certain death. It is a beautiful story of our redemption that goes even deeper than the biblical stories. In cinematic portrayals of Jesus, like The Passion, the stations are weaved in, like when you see Jesus fall (3 times) or greet his mother, Mary, or get his face wiped by Veronica.
The "original" stations are beautiful and moving all on their own. The stations that our presenter, Franciscan Friar Brother Bob, talked about were personal stations. How through the stations Jesus dies but teaches us how to live. To keep these posts manageable, both for you to read and me to write, I am breaking it into 5 parts. This is part 1.
Station 1-3, How we fail
Station 1: Pilate washes his hands of Jesus, whatsoever you do to the least, you do unto me
You can look at this station 2 ways, you are either Jesus or Pilate. Hint: you are both at different times. Sometimes we are "washed" away by someone. A relationship falls apart and we don't know why, a wife/husband employing the silent treatment against you, etc. Sometimes, we do the washing.
In either case, there is damage control that needs to be done. If you have been washed, you need to pray for the person to reestablish the relationship. If you have done the washing, you need to pray for forgiveness. As Jesus says, whatsoever you do to the least, you do unto me. Washing your hands of someone is like saying, "I don't care what happens to you" or worse saying, "You are dead to me."
Do you really wish that other person dead? That is the same as killing them yourself.
Station 2: Jesus takes up His cross, it's not fair
We take up our cross everyday. We each have a daily burden to carry. When you look at this station, you are not to think, "It's not fair that I have this burden." It definitely wasn't fair that Jesus had to carry a cross for a crime He didn't commit, is it? Our lives are not fair. We were never told they would be. (How many parents have used that line? How many kids have heard it? I know I did almost every day of my life) When we examine this station, we need to pray for the ability to carry our cross (the one weighing on us most heavily at that moment, it may not be the biggest on in our life) with purpose, faith and grace. God gives us the ability to do it.
Just as in the first station, it is possible for you to be both parts of this station too. Examine if you are a cross for someone else. Pray for the ability to not be their cross anymore, whether that be for strength or wisdom or grace or forgiveness.
The most important take away from this station: Life gives us the cross. God helps us carry it!
Station 3: Jesus falls for the first time, life trips you up
We are human, we will fail and we will fall. We have a heavy burden of sin that we are carrying around. We, like Jesus scourged at the pillar, are exhausted from the beating that life gives us every day. It is a struggle to live a Christian, moral life in a world that guarantees this is an uphill battle. We shouldn't be surprised by the fact that we fail and fall. We should expect it, embrace it as a chance to do better next time, and always get up and try again.
Embrace the suffering that helps you live like Jesus. Don't be too proud to fall. We cannot live this life without the strength God supplies so readily and abundantly. If you feel like you have been falling a lot recently, pray for more strength and find away to relieve yourself of some of your burdens. We have a tendency to carry around a lot of baggage that does nothing but weigh us down. Past relationships that were never healed, past hurts that are still open wounds, let them go, feel the weight of those burdens lifted from your shoulders, get up and move on.
Next up Part 2: Stations 4-6, The ways in which God helps us up!
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
It all makes me want to pull my hair out and scream. Yes, truly human reactions to truly human actions. But after screaming a little and counting to 10, I reflected on the amazing parish mission that was held at Saint Louis. We had 3 nights of a great speaker covering 3 topics, the Eucharist, the Beatitudes and the Stations of the Cross. Each night was enlightening but the talk about the Stations of the Cross really spoke to me more than the others. Perhaps because we were in the midst of Lent and the Stations have such a tie to Lent or perhaps because I was guilty of several things discussed, either way or what ever the reason, it was wonderful.
There are 14 stations in the stations of the cross. Each station depicts a stage during the crucifixion and death of Jesus. So it is basically the last moments of Jesus' life, the pinnacle of His mission here on earth, His last act of selflessness to save our souls from certain death. It is a beautiful story of our redemption that goes even deeper than the biblical stories. In cinematic portrayals of Jesus, like The Passion, the stations are weaved in, like when you see Jesus fall (3 times) or greet his mother, Mary, or get his face wiped by Veronica.
The "original" stations are beautiful and moving all on their own. The stations that our presenter, Franciscan Friar Brother Bob, talked about were personal stations. How through the stations Jesus dies but teaches us how to live. To keep these posts manageable, both for you to read and me to write, I am breaking it into 5 parts. This is part 1.
Station 1-3, How we fail
Station 1: Pilate washes his hands of Jesus, whatsoever you do to the least, you do unto me
You can look at this station 2 ways, you are either Jesus or Pilate. Hint: you are both at different times. Sometimes we are "washed" away by someone. A relationship falls apart and we don't know why, a wife/husband employing the silent treatment against you, etc. Sometimes, we do the washing.
In either case, there is damage control that needs to be done. If you have been washed, you need to pray for the person to reestablish the relationship. If you have done the washing, you need to pray for forgiveness. As Jesus says, whatsoever you do to the least, you do unto me. Washing your hands of someone is like saying, "I don't care what happens to you" or worse saying, "You are dead to me."
Do you really wish that other person dead? That is the same as killing them yourself.
Station 2: Jesus takes up His cross, it's not fair
We take up our cross everyday. We each have a daily burden to carry. When you look at this station, you are not to think, "It's not fair that I have this burden." It definitely wasn't fair that Jesus had to carry a cross for a crime He didn't commit, is it? Our lives are not fair. We were never told they would be. (How many parents have used that line? How many kids have heard it? I know I did almost every day of my life) When we examine this station, we need to pray for the ability to carry our cross (the one weighing on us most heavily at that moment, it may not be the biggest on in our life) with purpose, faith and grace. God gives us the ability to do it.
Just as in the first station, it is possible for you to be both parts of this station too. Examine if you are a cross for someone else. Pray for the ability to not be their cross anymore, whether that be for strength or wisdom or grace or forgiveness.
The most important take away from this station: Life gives us the cross. God helps us carry it!
Station 3: Jesus falls for the first time, life trips you up
We are human, we will fail and we will fall. We have a heavy burden of sin that we are carrying around. We, like Jesus scourged at the pillar, are exhausted from the beating that life gives us every day. It is a struggle to live a Christian, moral life in a world that guarantees this is an uphill battle. We shouldn't be surprised by the fact that we fail and fall. We should expect it, embrace it as a chance to do better next time, and always get up and try again.
Embrace the suffering that helps you live like Jesus. Don't be too proud to fall. We cannot live this life without the strength God supplies so readily and abundantly. If you feel like you have been falling a lot recently, pray for more strength and find away to relieve yourself of some of your burdens. We have a tendency to carry around a lot of baggage that does nothing but weigh us down. Past relationships that were never healed, past hurts that are still open wounds, let them go, feel the weight of those burdens lifted from your shoulders, get up and move on.
Next up Part 2: Stations 4-6, The ways in which God helps us up!
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
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