SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE...
“Christ suffers
the disillusionment that comes with superficial success, a sense of failure,
betrayal by people he trusted, misunderstanding by authority, fear,
humiliation, abandonment, loneliness, despair, and death. And he shows all of us how to do the same. To say ‘I believe… Christ “suffered’” is to
say ‘I believe that suffering can be transcended.’’ It is to throw our lot in with hope.”
Practical: Practice the Ignatian “examen” (or
Examination of Conscience) using the acronym B.A.K.E.R:
1.
BLESSINGS: Identify the blessings throughout your day,
and express your gratitude for them.
2.
ASK: Ask for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit
to help you to examine the motives for your actions today with honesty and
patience.
3.
KNOWLEDGE: Review the events of your day with particular
attention to your own actions. Put your
actions in context, trying to understand why you made the choices you did,
which choices might have been more life-giving, and what you might have done
differently.
4.
EMBRACE: Approach the Lord with contrition and accept
His healing embrace of mercy.
5.
RESOLUTION: Identify one concrete way you might change or
make reparation for one of your actions today when you find yourself in a
similar context tomorrow.
Quotations from Benedictine
sister Joan Chittister’s book In Search of Belief, which explores the Apostles’ Creed phrase by phrase,
demonstrating how the Creed is not a static set of rules or statements, but a
living document that speaks to the deepest meaning of our existence and serves
as a life guide, calling all of us to engage more deeply in relationship with
God and with each other. Sr.
Chittister’s thoughts challenge us to live the Creed more fully as Christians;
her writing is thought-provoking and inspirational.
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