The wounds of Jesus

The book "The Wounds of Jesus" is not easy or light reading for me this Lent. The author is aware of the somber content and suggests that one reads a portion every day, completing a chapter each week. I have read the first two chapters: wounds on the back and the feet of Jesus. The descriptions of the physical torture he experienced are not easy to bear, yet they were so real and agonizing.

A number of invitations emerge from contemplating the wounds on Jesus' back and feet.

How far have I turned my back to the world in order to better follow the Lord and discover what he wants me to do in the world? Without letting go of some things, our hands and hearts may be full of excesses and dulled into complacency.

Am I able to keep watch and pray that I might be strengthened to face trials? (This is something the disicples failed to do in the Garden of Gethsemane, as they faced the back of Jesus, bowed as he was in his urgent prayer) Such prayer is risky because it demands a change of heart, it requires vulnerability and the knowledge that we do need help, strengthening, to prepare us for difficult times.

All through his life, Jesus' feet walked towards the will of God, holding fast to who he really was to be and do, even though he faced constant temptations to walk his own way. How can I resist the temptation to walk my own way, rather than in humble dependence upon the Lord? Our freedom is a gift that God grants, yet it is easily misused to foster independence from him and from one another.

How can I find companions where washing one another's feet (humble service) and walking the way of the cross together are hallmarks of living faith?

It is easier to find fair weather friends who are glad to celebrate our joys but are unable to wait with us in sorrow. In truth it is difficult to stay beside people who are in agony. We want to run or to do something to bring the pain to an end...attention to the suffering of another pierces our heart. But in the right circumstances, it can be a privilege because in such situations we are sometimes very aware of the presence of the God who suffers with us.