New Perspectives

       As you know I began praying my first novena this week!  Today’s rosary focused on the Sorrowful Mysteries.  I thought I was going to hate focusing on all the sad parts of the Gospel but I actually liked the reminder of Jesus’ great sacrifice. My concentration on Jesus' sufferings reminded me how much I take for granted. What I particularly found interesting in my meditation is that I had never really considered how God the Father felt during Jesus’ Passion.

picture via UTNE

       Usually while reflecting on the Passion I think about how Jesus loved us and was willing to sacrifice himself anyway.  In recent years (mostly after Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ) I have thought a lot more about the actual pain and anguish Jesus experienced and the sorrow Mary went through.  It has really added to my gratitude when I consider just how awful the Passion really was.  Jesus was not hanging on the cross with a loincloth and one little mark where they pierced his side.  No, Jesus was hanging up there naked covered with cuts, bruises, whip marks, dirt, and blood. 

       The rosary allowed me to meditate in a focused manner on the Passion.  While I was praying I thought about how each mystery looked and felt from many different perspectives (Jesus, Mary, God, those persecuting Jesus, myself).  One that I had never really thought of before was how God was feeling during his Son’s Passion.  During Lent I think about God telling Jesus, “this is what is going to happen”, and then he kind of disappears from the story until Jesus asks him to “forgive them, they know not what they do.”  Upon reflection, I realized that God (as always) didn't go anywhere.  He had to watch his Son go through all of the suffering that the entire rest of the world deserved.

       So, how did God feel?  Did he look down stoically, knowing that this was what had to be done?  Did he cringe with every crack of the whip and every pound of the hammer?  Did he cry?  Can God even cry?  Did he want to reach down and stop it all?  Was he proud of Jesus?  Was he angry for what our sins had led him to do?  Was he happy that through Jesus’ suffering we would all be restored to him?  Was it maybe a combination of these?

       I am not sure what God was feeling during this time.  We can never really know.  I imagine he felt something similar to how I feel on Good Friday, sad for what happened but overjoyed for what it means to sinners.  No matter how He felt, I am impossibly and eternally grateful to Him for the sacrifice. 

       

       What do you think of the Sorrowful Mysteries?  Have you ever thought about how the Father was feeling?  What do you think God was doing during the Passion?  Comments? Questions?  Suggestions?  Drop me a line in the comments below!