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I AM THE BREAD OF
LIFE
(Note: we had
permission to print the text during Lent but have had to remove the
text after Lent. Refer to your hymnal for the text.)
When Roman
Catholics pray the rosary, they contemplate four sets of mysteries
in the life of Jesus: the joyous mysteries, the glorious mysteries,
the luminous mysteries and the sorrowful mysteries. The sorrowful
mysteries include the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the
scourging at the pillar, the crowning with thorns, the carrying of
the cross and the crucifixion.
As Lutherans, we
spend much of Holy Week contemplating these same mysteries. As
humans, we spend much of our lives contemplating our own pain.
Knowing Christ does not take away our pain. Yet, somehow, the
suffering of Christ can give us hope to live through the hard times.
Let’s face it —
whatever our problems, Jesus’ problems were worse: He was
illegitimate, poor, transient, homeless, misunderstood, pressured to
perform, unjustly accused, abandoned and killed.
Jesus’ life was
much harder than our lives. Even as we contemplate Christ’s
suffering, we know that his story did not end in suffering. And
neither will ours. Knowing Christ heals us.
The 20th
century theologian Frederick Buechner said, “The birth of Jesus made
possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of
living it.” Through his suffering, we are healed.
Lord Jesus, you
know our sorrows. In all our suffering, you are with us. That is
your promise. There is nothing we suffer that you do not know.
Through you, we gain strength and find hope to keep living. Thank
you.
Quinn Gorges,
Seminarian
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