The Banner over me is LOVE

It’s so hard to see a parent die but it’s harder to see your own child die.  The anguish seems impossible to endure. People talk about the three days of darkness. I’m sure in Mama Mary‘s life, this is the second day.   The three days of darkness is experienced every year when the loss of Jesus pains your heart, knowing that the light of the world, was put out for three days.  Today people talk about the three days of darkness that incites fear…the one I’m talking about incites sorrow.  The sorrow of loss not the fear of what you will lose.

​Good Friday didn’t turn out to be the way I wanted it to be this year, It took a turn because I needed to babysit three grandchildren under four years old.  I embraced it as it was-God‘s Will for me .  I did teach them simplistically the story of Adam and Eve - their disobedience, and how Jesus came and died for us. My eldest granddaughter cried and looked up at the cross- “I don’t want him to die”, she said with her tear stained face. My other granddaughter, immediately said, “look he’s alive”, as she pointed at the resurrected Divine Mercy image!”  How beautiful and pure the thoughts of little children.  Aaliyah kissed Christ’s feet to make him feel better.  Amazing compassion!  How precious and pure are their ways!  When they left, it was late, so what I could do was watch the Passion of the Christ with my mom.

And then I remembered long ago a reflection that the Lord gave me for a long time and it stayed with me.   I remember Jesus, uttering as he carried the heavy cross, “because I love them, because I love them, because I love them“, with each labored step on Calvary to Golgotha. There’s significance in the Golgotha name which means the empty skull. He showed me that he took that cross of his and staked it on the empty skull of pride and disobedience and claimed  it by putting his  banner there …

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.  
​Song of Solomon 2:4

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  
John 6:53

“The banner over me is love”. Jesus is the banner on the pole staked  so that souls might have divine wisdom and the fullness of His Spirit through the banquet off His Body and Blood. The myriad of  souls that have gained God’s thoughts by the embrace of God and walking away from pride.  Jesus countered Satan’s pride…Adam and Eve’s pride with total humility.  He countered disobedience with submissive obedience.  But most of all, he countered everything with love.  

You and I have seen  the proliferation of Christians after the death and resurrection of Jesus, who have become his followers.  So many that books cannot contain them all.  The many of virgins, martyrs, religious, parents, teachers, etc. living and dying for Christ. He built his kingdom on earth establishing a throne on the Cross, which is also his altar of sacrifice. Crowned with thorns, yes to suffer but to gain a dominion, a sovereignty. Retrieving what was lost for the love of the Father and the love of you and me. 

His subjects know how to serve, their attributes are recognizable- to live life for the purpose of gaining more subjects for everlasting life. They have fought against their own pride, the ways of the world and the devil.  
 
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 12:24-26

The kingdom of heaven starts here and ends in the totality of joy - which is prepared for us by our loving God.  We’ve got a place reserved for us!  With the very best of Father’s. 

Love you all,
Karen