Today, April 18, we stand in solemn remembrance at the foot of the cross, witnesses alongside Mary to the ultimate sacrifice. The Passion narrative from John's Gospel unfolds before us—a divine love story written in suffering. From the garden of Gethsemane to the final breath at Golgotha, we trace the steps of a love that surrenders everything. Each moment of Christ's passion speaks volumes of a Father who would give His only Son and a Son who embraces the cup of suffering for our sake.
As we journey through the Stations of the Cross, we're invited to see ourselves in this narrative—in the denials of Peter, the washing of hands by Pilate, the weeping of the women, and the steadfast presence of the beloved disciple. Yet most profoundly, we're called to recognize ourselves in the gaze of Jesus, who even in His agony sees and loves each soul. His crown of thorns, His wounded hands, His pierced side—all reveal a love that transforms the greatest darkness into the promise of light.
The cross stands today as both the most sorrowful image in human history and paradoxically, the most hope-filled. In the shadow of this instrument of torture turned throne of mercy, we find the fullness of divine love that chooses to enter our suffering rather than remain distant from it. Every drop of blood, every labored breath proclaims: "This is how much you are loved." In the profound silence of this day, the Word made flesh speaks most eloquently through His wounds.
As the sky darkened over Jerusalem that first Good Friday, so too might we allow our hearts to enter that sacred darkness today—not to remain there, but to be transformed by it. In meditating on Christ's passion, we don't simply recall a historical event but encounter a present reality: love that continues to give itself completely. Standing with Mary, whose heart was pierced by the same suffering that pierced her Son, we learn how to remain faithful in our darkest hours and how to trust that morning will eventually break upon the tomb.
©2025 James Dacey Jr.
