On this Good Friday, we anxiously await to share in the resurrection on Easter Sunday. But like Mary at the foot of the cross in the gospel story, we can not run straight to the resurrection, but must first partake in the suffering. Perhaps in this Lenten journey we have been challenged and emptied by our Lenten resolves. We have seen the weakness of the flesh but the willingness of the spirit. We have seen that we long for more than this life offers and anxiously await the coming of the Kingdom. This is because as Christians we are called to be in the world, but not to be of the world. Just as Jesus says in today’s gospel, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.” So is it for us too, that we do not belong to this world. In this passion narrative we see the humanity of our savior. It is with this humanity that we may take our hope and come to see that he understands the weakness of our flesh.

Jesus says on the cross, “I thirst.” While this can be taken in the literal sense of being thirsty for drink, we can see a deeper meaning here. Jesus thirsts for souls. He desires to take on the weight of the sin of the world that we might be reconciled to the Father through him. He thirsts for us to offer up that weakness which prevents us from being in complete relationship with him. He says, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” His incredible suffering helps elicit in us that same desire to testify to this truth. It is through sharing in this suffering that we might also fully participate in the resurrection. Jesus asks us “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?" Here we see complete submission to the will of the Father and He challenges us to do the same. We must diligently seek the Father’s will in our own lives and while it may include suffering for completion, we can take our strength from seeing the model of our Savior who has done it first.