I kneel below Him.
His blood drips down like tears.
His crown of thorns
sharply brings Him pain.
He has refrained from crying thus far ...
but as He yells out:
"My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?!"
He cries out of fear
and loneliness and pain.
Hurting He looks down at me;
and for a moment,
before God takes back His only Son,
I see in Him myself:
My insecurities, my failures
my lack of self respect.
We are one and the same;
God made me, God made Him,
we are family.
His head sags at last and in anguish, I cry:
"No! ... Come back! I FINALLY UNDERSTAND!"
(c. 2000)
Note: This was written after Adoration during a youth group retreat in high school. It was one of the most memorable and moving experiences of my life. If you don't know what Adoration is, here's a crash course. A priest brings the Body of Christ into the room in a monstrance (a large cross with a wafer (the blessed Body of Christ)) in a clear center. The process of Adoration is personal. You pray and worship in your own way. Eventually (usually after a set length of time) the priest will come and collect it and put it away. Also, the priest doesn't touch the monstrance with his hands, he uses a cloth. I don't know all the exact terminology so if I've gotten something wrong, please feel free to correct me.
