Friday of Week 26 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
Baruch 1:15-22 | Psalm 78(79):1-5,8-9 | Luke 10:13-16
I was on a mission of sorts when we visited Mariya Bistrica in Croatia, composing a photo essay in my head. The lovely folks with whom I traveled will probably recognize all these images, but I hope even those who haven’t been to Mariya Bistrica will understand the underlying message.
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
We have but brief moments in this world.
My wrist + watch, marking the date and time of my sojourn
What do we do with them?
Do we gather with heart and soul at the table of the Lord…
Worshipping inside the basilica
…or do we just admire its beauty from afar?
The altar at the Chapel of St. Peter, where we celebrated our daily mass
Do we lead others to Christ as his hands and feet on earth…
A young family on a day trip
…or do we leave him limbless?
A crucifix hanging outside the chapel, inexplicably missing hands and feet
Do we walk with the Lord daily, faithfully bearing our crosses as He did His…
15 Stations of the Cross, carved on a pole outside the basilica
…or do we leave Him hanging as we trot off in search of ease and sensuality?
“The Wall of Faith and Hope”
Do we support our neighbors in love…
Coffee, cookies, and chat
…or hamstring them out of jealousy or fear?
A memorial to those who lost their lives fighting oppression
Amidst the troubles that roil this world, our own ninth hour approaches…
“When the last watch is over, come for us, Our Blessed Mother!”
…and the bells toll for us.
The bell “tree” that supplants the tower in the basilica
Now is not the time to wash our hands of our fellow men…
Tableau: “Pilate Washes His Hands of Jesus”
…but to stand fast and hold on to the Cross of Love and Life.
Statue commemorating Pope John Paul II’s visit to Marija Bistrica
Amen.