April 10th, Good Friday

Isaiah 52: 13 -- 53: 12, Psalm 31: 2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25, Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9, John 18: 1 -- 19: 42

The Passion tells the story of the sacrifice that Jesus made. This was no easy path, even for the Son of God. In Isaiah's words, “He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins”. But, it was a sacrifice that he felt a sacred responsibility to make. When offered an easier path, he asked “Shall I not drink of the cup my Father has given me?” And, here’s the catch: having sacrificed himself for us – for me – he calls us all, including me, to follow his example of sacrifice for others. I ask myself, Can I? Will I?

For many years, I simply ignored these questions. I focused on goals that had little to do with Christ’s challenge. In recent years, however, I found myself experiencing a mid-life crisis of sorts: a desire for a better answer to these questions. First, the “can I follow Christ's example” question. It's not easy in our community to ignore this question. As I look around, I see constant examples of otherwise ordinary people like me who have taken up this challenge so fully. We have countless adults in our community who sacrifice for our children. We have many volunteers who give their time, talents and treasure to the many activities of our Parish. We have neighbors throughout the community who care for each other in times of need. We have a committed group of teens, including my own daughter, who goes on Mission trips and work to live their faith in our challenging culture. All their efforts and accomplishments confirm that, while I may frequently fall short, I have no excuse for not trying to follow Christ’s model of sacrifice for others.

So, I now wrestle with the real question, Will I follow that example of sacrifice for others? For me, this is the trickiest question because it's so easy to lose track of it in the blur of everyday life. The message I take from the Passion this year is that I have to keep asking myself the "will I" question. While I can never match His level of sacrifice, I can accept His challenge and continue to find ways to give more of my gifts to help others.


Tim McDermott, husband of Lorelei, father of three, attorney