Continued…..
The Seventh Station: Jesus gives the apostles the power to forgive sins.
It is after the resurrection and the apostles are together, the doors are locked for fear. As the coronavirus has brought home to us, the implications and indeed the power of fear; that is why a good inquiry would be very rewarding and help to bear good fruit for our future. The greeting of Jesus when He enters the room that is locked, “Peace be with you” this is at the heart of God’s mission in Christ Jesus. The ministry of reconciliation could be a great gift to the church in our future.
“We love you Lord Jesus and we trust in you for we know you are risen from the dead and live in us”.
Peace be with you, is at the heart of confession, and when I was first ordained I spent hours in the confessional. A great source of grace, but even there, the enemy evil can penetrate. One of its fruits is scrupulosity, creating a disturbing barrier to God’s grace. Another one which I experienced is the fear of having made a bad confession which confused my early life. I am not the only one. The grace is to be reconciled to God, becoming more aware that His power lives in us.
Alleluia, Alleluia. Give thanks to the risen Lord. Give praise to his name
The Eighth Station: “My Lord and my God”. Thomas professes his faith in Jesus.
Thomas was not with them when Jesus came. What a loss, and yet what compensation for all of us. It remains a comfort for us “doubting Thomas’s”. In fact the words of Jesus “Happy are those who have not seen and believe” is a good emphasis.
“We love you Lord Jesus and we trust in you for we know you are risen from the dead and live in us”.
We are all a work in progress and where we are on this journey of life is always part of God’s plan of salvation. The people we live among are always a part of God’s providence. Salvation begins when we place all our hope and trust in Him. Then His power begins “to take root in our lives” so the reality is, these are the trials through which we triumph by the power of Him who loves us. This truth is our road through life, which often can have real difficulties and hardship – but again the words of Jesus “pray constantly and never lose heart”. God’s salvation will be great far and wide and a spirit of judgement and condemnation will be lifted off our shoulders.
Alleluia, Alleluia. Give thanks to the risen Lord. Give praise to his name
The Ninth Station: The Risen Lord Jesus meets His disciples on the shore of Tiberias.
And again they do not recognise Him. “Have you caught anything friends?” he asks. And what is our answer? “We are on planet earth and work is in progress”. A need for great patience, each life has a particular good purpose, all part of God’s plan – the great mystery that is life. An aspect of this mystery from me is to be born as Siamese Twins, to blame someone, is a constant feature of life. Who’s to blame?. So best to turn to prayer.
“We love you Lord Jesus and we trust in you for we know you are risen from the dead and live in us”.
Jesus continues to be there, waiting whenever our lives seem to be so unproductive; the place where I find myself so often. So the last word will be Stations from St Thomas More, Seaford – Stations of the Resurrection.
Once more Jesus is not recognised by the apostles, for they are out fishing. However he performs a last miracle for them by filling their nets with fish. Let us remember that although we cannot see Him, Jesus is always there to help, whenever our efforts seem unproductive.
Dear Jesus help us to call on you, and to put our trust in you, whenever we have difficulties or disappointments.