I sat down to blog today, and I realized that I had somehow missed writing on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.  Every time I tried today to write an Easter blog, I felt pulled to first write about Good Friday and Holy Saturday before jumping to Easter….

Jesus shared his last meal with his disciples before being betrayed by Judas and handed over to his enemies. Jesus was betrayed, insulted, slapped, spit on, falsely accused.  Jesus, who was both human and divine, could have stopped all of this.  He could have chosen otherwise.  He could have avoided these agonies, but he did not.  He chose to go through with it for us.

We see several times in the gospel, where Jesus was asked questions about who he was, but it says, “he made no answer”.  Jesus could have healed someone or given a sign to make Pilate believe.  He could have said the words Pilate wanted to hear.  He did not though.  Jesus stood firm to his call, firm to what his Father asked of him.  Jesus went through all of this for us. 

When it came time to defend himself, Jesus remained silent.  Jesus remained firmly planted and rooted in God and God’s plan for him.

Jesus was nailed to the cross.  Jesus hung on the cross awaiting his death.  Again, Jesus could have “saved himself”, but he did not.  Jesus breathed his last breath, “Into your hands, I commend my spirit.”
Jesus died for us to save us from our sins. 
 

Do we embrace the fact that Jesus died for us to save us from our sins?
Will we embrace the truth that Jesus stands for?

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.