Kissing the cross
Resurrection, Spring Break, and feastifying your fasts
Hello friends — happy Easter!
I don’t know if it’s particularly appropriate to say this, but I had a very good Good Friday. I took most of the day off, which I highly recommend, so I was able to spend most of the day in prayer and silence, reflecting on the Passion of the Lord.
During the Good Friday liturgy, the congregation lines up to venerate (kiss, genuflect, honor) the cross of Christ. At some point in the past year, someone told me that when we go up to kiss the cross, we are not just kissing His cross, but we are also kissing the crosses that are present in our very lives: “the things that we did not choose, do not like, and cannot change,” as my favorite rosary podcast often defines them.
There was a beautiful older woman in front of me in line, and I watched as she slowly made her way up the aisle on her walker toward the cross. I was overwhelmed by the realization that this woman has probably borne more sufferings in her life than I could imagine. Yet here she was, leaning over her walker to kiss the feet of Christ on the cross. In that moment, I started to cry. I saw the hundreds of people in that church going up to kiss their very own crosses, acts of profound and radical surrender to the Lord. And as I approached the Cross, I offered my own with total surrender too — knowing that God offers and allows them as a way to bring me into deeper intimacy with Him.
This experience of Good Friday had a profound effect on my Easter. I went home to California and attended the Vigil with my mom, who was a sponsor. As the lights came on at the Alleluia, I was touched that Christ’s Resurrection also means that the cross I kissed on Friday is being and will be resurrected — that our crosses are truly the places where His glory shines through. Alleluia indeed!
Now that Lent is over, I was also struck by an idea to “feastify” my fasts. For example, I gave up gossiping, criticizing, and complaining for Lent (and don’t particularly want to welcome them back in), so what if during the Easter season I chose to send a nice note to someone every day, thanking them for the gift they are or the way they have impacted my life? Maybe you gave up spending money on coffee, and so this Easter season, you could take a friend to coffee once a week and spend the money you saved on a moment of community.
I love the idea of glorifying our fasts and how it could bring us further into the heart of the Lord — allowing the season of Lent to purify those places of attachment, and then to glorify them in the same way the Lord was glorified on Easter Sunday.
As we begin the Easter season, please know of my prayers for you and your loved ones. And I pray that you experience the great joy that is present to us today and every day. He has risen, just as He said. Alleluia!
In Christ,
Jane
What I’m loving lately
It’s spring break!
I’m spending the week in California (and took off work), so I’m deeming this my “spring break.” So far, it’s been a joy — this morning, I got a Philz coffee, wandered around a suburban Target (the best), and spent the afternoon with my friend’s children, which is always a dream. I have done almost everything except my taxes, which need to get filed asap — but once those are complete, it will be back to Spring Break fun!
Our Lady of Guadalupe Rosary
As you know, I’ve been making many, many rosaries, and my friend requested an “Our Lady of Guadalupe” rosary, so I made that this week… dare I say it may be my new favorite?! So bright and fun!
RIP Oura ring
I purchased an Oura ring about a month ago to give it a go, and returned it last week. I have so many friends who LOVE their rings, but it just felt a little clunky, and I didn’t feel like it was helping me in the ways I wanted. Maybe I’ll give it another try in another season, but it wasn’t adding joy to my life so I returned her.
I watched this movie on the plane to California, and it was a very cute romcom! I really was not sure how it would end happily, and I was appeased. I recommend!
Prayer intentions
For Julia, Kelly, and Katie with birthdays this week!
For my parents on their anniversary