Stations of the Cross is one of my favorite prayers, in that it allows us to meditate upon the Passion of Christ, the greatest act of Love the world has ever seen. While there are many versions available, one I like is "Everyone's Way of the Cross" by Clarence Enzler. In fact, I found the ISBN# and ordered a few copies for myself. After all, it is not a rare occasion to be with a group of friends on a Friday during Lent, seeking to pray stations, without any books.
This morning, as a group in Tampa, KS prayed stations, I reveled in the beauty of the combination of scripture from the New Testament as well as the Old Testament in the variation we were praying. A love letter from God...
But in this particular variation of which I own a few copies, there is a particular phrase in the reflection of the third station that has had some significance in my life as well as a few of my close friends.
Station Three - Jesus Falls
Christ speaks: The God who made the universe,
and holds it in existence by his will alone,
becomes a man, too weak to bear a piece of timber's weight.
How human in his weakness is the Son of God.
My Father willed it thus.
I could not be your model otherwise.
If you would be my other self,
you must also accept without complaint
your human frailties.
I reply: Lord Jesus, how can I refuse?
I willingly accept my weaknesses,
my irritations and my moods,
my headaches and fatigue,
all my defects of body, mind and soul.
Because they are your will for me,
these "handicaps" of my humanity,
I gladly suffer them.
Make me content with all my discontents,
but give me strength to struggle after you.
Make me content with all my discontents, but give me strength to struggle after you. Sounds like an excellent short prayer in this Lenten season.
Having just returned from a spring break trip headed south to Dallas to visit some friends and then to Houston to see some cousins, it is ironic to return from warmer weather with a cold. I willingly accept my weaknesses, my irritations, headaches and fatigue... my running nose.
There is something else that I also willingly accept. I am content, it seems, with living out of a bag more so than living in my own home. Here are my bags from this week's trip, yet to be unpacked. At first, this used to bother me. I was discontent with my contentedness of having only a few belongings to carry with me where I traveled. After two summers of such - one with Totus Tuus camp and the other with Prayer and Action - there is not much left for me to desire. Numerous weekends between weeks of teaching find me on the road to see framily members, attend faith events, or even a simple trip home to visit my family. For a short time, I was tired of always packing a bag to go some where. My wheels don't get very much rest. I keep my toiletries travel bag packed with spare deodorant, toothbrush and paste, as other essentials. I'm becoming more content with the realities that are the desires of my heart. I am content with my discontented-ness of owning numerous belongings. I am content with my contentedness of having less and less all the time. (Hold me true to this each time you see me.)
At the first FOCUS conference I attending in January of 2008, one of the many quotes that stuck with me was:
Are you content with being discontent? Are you comfortable being uncomfortable?
Are you discontent with being content? Are you uncomfortable being comfortable?
Apply this question to any area of your life. Take it to adoration. Allow Christ to enlighten your mind about such things. Pray that Christ will give us the strength to struggle after Him.
Pax.
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