Day 76 – 3 hours                   347 to go

Psalm 51: 3 Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense. 4 Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. 5 For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. 6 Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight That you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn. 7 True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me. 8 Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my inmost being teach me wisdom. 9 ³ Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow. 10 Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 11 Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt. 12 A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit. 13 Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit. 14 Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit. 15 I will teach the wicked your ways, that sinners may return to you. 16 Rescue me from death, God, my saving God, that my tongue may praise your healing power. 17 Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise. 18 ⁴ For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept. 19 My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.

As I read the Divine Intimacy chapter for Good Friday, my thoughts went to the second person who experienced the Agony in the Garden, to the second person who was mocked and ridiculed, who was feeling abandoned, rejected, and alone.  The Passion and Death of Jesus was not just about the Son of God; it was also about the Father, God our Creator who gave up His only begotten Son.  Our Father in heaven suffered as only a Father can suffer as He witnessed the cruelty and brutality inflicted on His dear Son, Jesus.  Our Father in Heaven felt every insult, experienced every pain, and suffered even greater than His Son.  As Jesus called out to Him; “why have You forsaken Me”, the Father wept tears of such pain and anguish.  The Father’s soul was shaken to it’s core.  He and His Son were making the ultimate sacrifice for their creation.  They had tried for 6000 years to turn the free will of man towards their simple rules of love.  Now, they “freed mankind” once and for all.  Now, they wiped away all our offenses by offering up the unblemished Lamb, the Innocent One.

Yesterday as I was cleaning up my basement after our major flooding here in SE CT, I thought about what I wrote in 2008 on Good Friday. (in left hand column, click on Good Friday), I tried to imagine that Satan knew all along what was happening, instead of Him thinking that he had won.  I thought about the anguish he was going through as he realized that he had not stopped the plan of the Father and the Son.  He used the soldiers to beat Jesus to death before He got to the cross, but did not succeed.  He came to Jesus in the Garden to tempt Him to “pass the Cup”.  He used the rejection of Jesus’ apostles to convince Jesus that this “walk” would be fruitless. – But, He lost. – Satan was defeated 2,010 years ago.

It is Saturday morning and I imagine that 2,010 years ago the gates of heaven were being prepared to open after being shut by the sin of Adam.  Mankind was being pardoned.  The blood shed would become grace for God’s people.  “By His wounds you were healed”. 1Pt 2:24

My chaplet was for the very wet people of Southeastern Connecticut who lost much due to flooding and my rosary was for all those that yesterday was not a Holy Day.

Peace