A few weeks ago, I was able to experience the Man of the Shroud exhibit. Before heading to the exhibit room, we were invited to watch a 30 minute video about it. One of the lines that stood out to me was something along the lines of, “When I die, how will my shroud look like? Will it be pure, clean and white? Or will it be dirty and full of blood as a sign that my life was lived for others?”
Reflecting on the sufferings of Jesus Christ – every single drop of blood, sweat, tears, cries of pain, agony, all of these were out of love for me. During Jesus’ Passion, Mother Mary watched her Son go through all of these. Despite the pain she was experiencing, she kept going on because she knew that everything was necessary to God’s plan of salvation.
What would the world be like if Jesus and Mary chose to be selfish?
There have been so many times when I just wanted to live life for myself even despite the knowledge that God wants to use me for a great mission. The journey ahead of me is daunting because I know it requires a lot of letting go of myself. But do I really want to live my life in comfort at the expense of my soul and the souls of the people I love?
Jesus, please teach me to love like You. Mother Mary, please help me learn to love my cross.