Closing Prayer for the Kingdom (The Fifteenth Station of the Cross)

< Fourteenth Station of the Cross

Oh Lord, you taught us to resist Empire by living with confidence in the reign of God, but our hearts are turned by fair winds and vain promises. Sometimes we are crushed under the heels of Empire, and sometimes we aid in Empire’s oppression, whether by active participation or by silent assent. We are the ones who shout “Hosanna!” and we are the ones who cry, “Crucify him!”

In the dark illumination of the Via Dolorosa, we have seen ourselves. We have seen ourselves capitulating to Empire; we have seen ourselves facing sorrow and death. We have also seen Christ among the living and the dying. We have walked the path that separates the Way of Life from the way of death.

In the darkness that is Good Friday, we stop to experience the absence of your light. We dwell in the moment of death and non-being as though the light has gone out. It is only by knowing the magnitude of loss and the depth of sorrow that we can truly honor the Way of Life and the hope of God's reign in our hearts.

You taught us in Matthew 25 that a nation is to be judged not by victories over its enemies, but by how it treats the weakest within its borders. May we therefore set out to care for the sick, give purpose and rehabilitation to the prisoners, provide for the hungry, and make a way for the destitute that in doing so we may all share in the bounty and gladness of the reign of God. Teach us also to care for the good earth. May we come to see all creatures that dwell within this fragile home as integral parts of your wondrous creation. 

May we live with your confidence in the reign of God, even in the face of hardship and death.           
                                                                                                                                                                                     ~ CK

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                         From The Book of Common Prayer:

                         (just prior to the consecration of the bread and wine at the Lord’s Table)

Lord God of our Fathers: God of Abraham, Isaac, and

Jacob; God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: Open our

eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us. Deliver

us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace

only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for

renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one

body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the

world in his name.

Risen Lord, be known to us in the breaking of the Bread.

                                                                ( Eucharistic Prayer C)

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Note: For a meditation on Holy Week beginning with Holy Thursday, see Paschal Triduum: A Personal Journey

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The Fourteenth Station of the Cross: Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb

< The Thirteenth Station of the Cross                                                               Closing Prayer for the Kingdom >

Jesus' disciples place his body in the tomb

When Jesus is confined to the pages of a book,
 then he remains entombed and Empire has the upper hand

Beyond the sacred page I seek you, Lord;

my spirit waits for you, O living Word.

                       

                             ~ Mary A. Lathbury

The best way to keep Jesus in the tomb is to confine him to the pages of a book. When that book is given holy status but never read (or hardly read or selectively read), then Empire succeeds in keeping Jesus entombed so that religious people often end up doing the bidding of Empire. The popular hymn, "Break Thou the Bread of Life," by Mary Lathbury contains a subtle word of wisdom that is the key to seeing the risen Christ: "Beyond the sacred page I seek you, Lord." When we confine Christ to the pages of the Bible, he is dead to the world around us. When we allow Christ to exist beyond those pages where he can address the death-making machinations of Empire, then he is risen, indeed.

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The Thirteenth Station of the Cross: Jesus is taken Down from the Cross

< The Twelfth Station of the Cross                                                                The Fourteenth Station of the Cross >

The lifeless body of Jesus is tenderly placed in the arms of Mary, his mother

Michelangelo's Pieta at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome

Reflecting upon Michelangelo's Pieta

By Charles Kinnaird

Revolutionary words,

Valiant tasks,

And the highest of aspirations

Having been brought to an end,

She looks with compassion

   upon his lifeless form.

He is enfolded and finds rest

Within the fully human and never-dying

Mother of all.

There is room in her flowing earthly garments

To enfold every missed step,

   every high calling,

      every miscalculation.

Each pointless task

Together with all fruitful endeavors

Are gathered into her bountiful lap.

In stillness and silence

Her fully human and never-dying love

Brings redemption to the son.

As all shall know

When the clamoring and shouting have ended,

All things are brought with compassion

To the bosom of the

Heavenly and Earthly

Never-dying

Mother of all.

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Migratory bird caught in oil spill in South Korea (BBC photo)

In the wake of Empire, souls are often crushed. When an oil company wreaks havoc upon the environment, many lives are lost. When we try to restore the damage, we are taking Christ's body down from the Empire's cross of death in hopes of seeing life come forth again. As a matter of public relations, Empire will apologize for the deaths and may offer a pittance in compensation. Afterward, however, Empire will continue its strides in death-making.

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