By Sister Mary Ellen Brody
Here is my servant!
Isaiah 42:1,4
I have made him strong…
He won’t quit or give up until he brings justice.
Scripture tells us that Jesus fell three times during his journey to Gethsemane. Falling is a strange occurrence. In childhood, it’s just natural. Those first steps are wobbly and usually something that is cheered on despite the number of times that one falls in the trying. Learning to ride a bike or skate also has its number of falls that we laugh and joke about. But as life’s journey continues, falling becomes somewhat of a problem. When we trip over that curb or small item that everyone (but us) has seen, we feel embarrassed and rush to assure everyone we’re ok. In our later years the thought of falling can fill us with fear and dread because it so often connotes failure. What if a fall could be seen differently?
During this Lenten season when we reflect on Jesus’ falls, we might get another understanding of falling. When Jesus fell, he wasn’t a toddler, nor was he playing, nor was he aged. We’re told he was only 33 years of age. Jesus’ falls were the result of physical and emotional exhaustion and extreme pain after a brutal beating and carrying the excessive weight of a wooden cross.
The above quote from Isaiah tells us that this servant was made strong; he wouldn’t quit until he brought justice. Pope Francis in his 2024 reflection on the third station asked Jesus:
“What are you thinking, how are you praying, prostrate in the dust? Above all, what gives you the strength to pick yourself up again?… The Father’s love for you and your love for us: that love is the force that makes you get up and go forward. For those who love do not stay down but start over again; those who love do not tire, but keep going; those who love take wing and fly.”
We know ourselves as the Body of Christ, the embodiment of Love. Can we let go of fear, embarrassment and thoughts of failure whenever we fall and instead proclaim that Love is present?
The song “What the World Needs Now is Love” by Burt Bacharach and Hal David was popular in the 1960s, but it is appropriate for all times. The sky/world in many ways seems to be “falling” in a sense that brings forth fear and a feeling of helplessness. So many people today live in fear, discouragement and helplessness. As the Body of Christ, the embodiment of Love, we know ourselves to be different. The world isn’t just falling; it also has an opportunity to get up again. Our part in this opportune moment is to proclaim who we are: Love. People need to see and experience this presence. As Mercy, in its many forms, we tell others that Love is present; we do not tire, but we keep going. May we always share this embodiment of Love through the mercy we live.