April 1st Fast

 +JMJ

"After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished said (to fulfill the scripture), 'I thirst,' A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said,'It is finished'; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (Jn. 19:28-30)

 St. Teresa of Kolkata famously said,"I know that God will not give me anything I cannot handle. I just wish He would not trust me so much." How often in life does one echo these words in his heart? How often does he pray for the strength to endure seemingly endless tests of patience? How frequently does he sympathize with another famous Teresian quip (this time from the great saint of Avila):"If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them?"  

If one thing is certain about the Royal Road of the Cross it is that it is not a short one.  It is understood that God could have redeemed the world in any way He chose; one drop of Christ's blood would have been sufficient to pay our ransom. And yet, Our Savior chose to fill his cup of suffering up to the very brim. His mental anguish in Gethsemane was not enough; his betrayal by his one apostle and abandonment by his other apostles was not enough; his scourging and crowning with thorns was not enough. How his body, his human nature, must have ached to stay on the ground after each fall on the way to Calvary! Oh, surely He must have yearned to die in the arms of His beloved mother as she sorrowfully met Him on the Via Dolorosa.  

But it was not until His strength had been completely emptied that Christ breathed His last on Good Friday. For having poured out His sacrificial love as a ransom for sinners, He now cries out for that same love in the words,"I thirst". The love that satisfies is not one that is given in a burst of affection, or a brief moment of self-denial.  This love that the Greeks called "agape" is one that demands the total gift of self. One who strives to practice it does not say,"the burden is too heavy, the time is too long, the cross is too much." He may beg for assistance, but is prepared to persevere, plodding along steadily, rising when he falls, determined to shoulder the weight until the Lord may say to him:"It is enough."