April 25, 2025

My Journey to God

The Last Phrases of Jesus

I sit and think of Jesus’ words
I hear the chirping of the birds
I ponder and see Him hanging there
My heart feels heavy and I whisper a prayer.

What meaning do these words have for me?
These words from my Savior hanging from a tree.
How can they change my life so bland,
Into something that in His eyes would be grand?

“Forgive them,” You say, “they know not what they do.”
Could I do this in my life just to please you?
“Today you’ll be with me in Paradise.”
Can it be I will see it with my own eyes!

Giving your Mother to all us on Earth,
This Holy Woman who was there at Your birth.
She loves us so deeply so that we might
Be close to You as we give her our plight.

“My God, My God,” did You really leave
Your only Son to cry and grieve?
You did not leave, but stepped aside,
So we could see our lives when not in your stride.

“I thirst,” He said. Was He talking to me?
What can I give that will set me free?
My will, my problems, my good and my bad,
What greater freedom have I ever had?!

“It is finished.” Dear Father, I can almost hear it.
“Into Your Hands” He commends His Spirit.
The Seven Last Phrases of Jesus our Lord,
The Sacred Scripture, His Holy Word.

By Andrea Fleck
 

(Andrea Fleck is a member of St. Roch Parish in Indianapolis. This poem is a reprint from the April 18 issue, in which the final line was missing.) †

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