The First Good Friday

 



Christ above in torment hangs,

she beneath beholds the pangs

of her dying glorious Son.


-Stabat Mater


No man born of woman dare say, he has endured as much as Christ or His Mother did. Every Wounds on the Sacred Hands and Feet of The Saviour had a twofold impact.  The Physical and the Spiritual.  The Physical  Body of Christ's Humanity suffered the severest of pains. Be it the Scourges, the beatings, the stripping off of His Clothes, The Crowning with Thorns -everything pained His Most Tender Virginal Flesh and tore it off His Body.  





While Spiritually, His mind was "sorrowful even unto death". The Sins that man had ever committed, or were presently committing and the Sins we would commit in the future plagued The Sacred Heart of Jesus. Being God He knew how many would never use the Balm of His Precious Blood and convert. He knew how many would still choose satan to Himself. How men would still choose wealth and complain like the ancient Israelites. He knew the thousands who would dawn themselves to Hell and die in Mortal Sins.  From Gethsemane to the Cross to His Death, His Sorrows is beyond human comprehension. 




Only His Immaculate Virgin Mother knew. And here the good old Simeon's prophecy of a sword passing through Her Immaculate Heart came true. While Christ was undergoing the Agony of agonies,  Physical and Spiritual; His Mother was enduring the Spiritual Agony. And at this point, on the pinnacle of Mount Calvary, was truly the Sins of the old Adam and Eve truly atoned for. For the Obstinacy of our First Parents,  a new lineage began.  For Adam there was Crucified Christ and for Eve, was the Mater Dolorosa. 



As we walk to Calvary today,  who are we imitating- the sons of Israel or The Son of God and His Blessed Mother? Like Moses,  He sets before us, life and death.  The Cross is in the center while 2 ways are open on either side. One leads to Heaven the other to Perdition.  Where are we going?





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Nilgiri Diaries- The Call of The Blue Mountains

Image
  Part 7- Wildlife, Sceneries, The Return  “The forest makes your heart gentle. You become one with it. No place for greed or anger there.” - Pha Pachak As we bade  farewell to the chilly winds, the beloved people of Ooty and the glory of the Blue Mountains and descended towards Bangalore, we flew through Madumalai Forest and Tiger Reserve and Bandipur Wildlife Reserve where we were welcomed by the playful elephants and the majestic peacocks with out spread blue-green tail, dancing with tune of rain drops falling on the grass and trees and the music they made.  But then, a hopping herd of deer welcomed us and in their play, took away my tiresomeness of the long journey. But, wait.... as if that wasn't enough a band of monkeys welcomed me with their joyful chattering.  Yet surrounded by fog and showered with raindrops, it felt magical as if I was in Ancient Ireland with the fae folk.  After this, and a sad farewell to the beloved animals, and a long journey,...
Read more

The Nilgiri Diaries- The Call of The Blue Mountains

Image
 Part 6: Treks, Temples, Churches, Food & a Farewell  "I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world" - Mary Anne Radmacher When I started going on these trips,  I never knew it would become a habit. And good habits should be inculcated,  nurtured and grown. My trips have helped me see a world where there is joy and happiness in small things, something a corporate minded would seemingly call "useless" or derogate its importance.  But that's where travel comes in. It shows us that as humans,  we're all to an extent suffering but we need to smile and seek as well as find happiness.   My last day began with a visit to the Cathedral and it's adjacent Shrine of The Blessed  Sacrament, where after a quiet reflection and The Holy Rosary,  I visited my favorite South Indian Restaurant,  Ruchi on Garden Road, where I indulged into a treat of Poori masala or Bhatura and mashed potato sabzi. Next, a trip to an...
Read more

The Nilgiri Diaries-Call of The Blue Mountains

Image
Day 5: Chai Sutra: The Tea Trail of Ooty "Not all who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien My day began with Rosary and a trek through Elk Hill to visit the legendary Murugan temple housing a colossal statue of Murugan Swamy (Kartikeya), the god of war and bravery and the first born son of Shiva. Surrounded by pines and oaks, this trail took me half an hour's trek and Blessed with some beautiful views. Strong winds and showers of monsoon rain had made the trail not only beautiful but also dangerous but for a adventurer, when has a steep dangerous road stopped men from exploring the unexplored? Having explored Elk Hill and its charming views, I walked through another picturesque trail to The Government Rose Garden which is home to more than 500 different species of roses. Washed and purged by the heavy showers,  these roses danced in the wind as if to an unheard hilly folk song.  Next hopping on to an auto, we travelled to Doddabetta Peak,  the highest  point of Tamil N...
Read more