To ease his pain (Michael Adams)

    Moments before his death, we hear Jesus call out from the cross, “I thirst.” As many people wiser and holier than I have pointed out, this thirst is not merely one out of bodily necessity but a spiritual one. Jesus thirsts for us. 

    If this is true and Jesus does truly thirst for us, then in some way, we have the power to satiate his thirst and, in turn, provide him some comfort in his darkest hour. While it can be overwhelming at times to consider Jesus’ suffering in light of our responsibility for it, it ought to give us hope that we have the potential to ease his pain. 

    Jesus pours himself out upon the cross for all of humanity while a mostly hostile crowd celebrates his demise. While his body surely ached from the physical wounds, I imagine his heart ached even more when he looked out to the crowd and saw that most of his closest friends and followers had deserted him. To relieve his loneliness, and therefore ease his suffering and pain, we must go beyond being near Jesus. We must tend to him. 

    Start by quieting your heart, removing all distractions, and approaching the foot of the cross as Jesus hangs there. From there, it is as simple as gazing into his eyes and asking him a question: “Jesus, how can I tend to you?” 

    While I may not know how Jesus answers this question for each of you, I am certain of one thing: Jesus is consoled by your asking alone. To sincerely ask this question, a few things must be true. You must first be near Jesus so that he can hear you. Then you must recognize the reality of the gift of his mercy and feel the guilt for having denied him before. Finally, moved by love, you must ask him how you can give of yourself to him and bring him joy. 

    And as we quench the thirst of Jesus by loving him how he intends us to, rather than how we’d like to, we discover that we too have had our thirst quenched in return. We are to offer our hearts as libations to Jesus on the cross so that he may find solace and be satiated by our love. A cup with the contents of a heart like this surely quenches the thirst of Jesus. In turn, our hearts are filled by his love and mercy poured out upon us. 

--Michael Adams 

Image source: El Greco, The Crucifixion (1596-1600), https://www.wga.hu/html_m/g/greco_el/12/1209grec.html
Quotation source