JESUS MAFA. The Crucifixion; Jesus dies on the cross, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

If I were humble enough to surrender my whole self to God’s will… perhaps I would stop resisting pain and suffering… perhaps I would forgive those who hurt me… speak out in defense of the poor and vulnerable… respond to aggression with nonviolence… choose the power of love over the idol of fear—even if it meant being killed.

May I be willing to be taught by God, who is love. May I be graced with the knowledge that love never fails.

[Jesus] humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8