SIMPLE40 - Day 39 - What Wondrous Love
- Katie Donahue
- Apr 2
- 4 min read
GOOD FRIDAY
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Good Friday invites us into one of the most raw and sacred moments in all of Scripture. From the Cross, Jesus cries out the opening words of Psalm 22...a psalm that begins in anguish but does not end there.
At first glance, these words sound like pure desolation. They echo the weight of suffering, the feeling of being alone, the silence of God in the midst of pain. And yet, this is not the full story.
Psalm 22 unfolds like so many of our own journeys. It begins in sorrow but slowly turns, line by line, toward trust, remembrance, and ultimately, victory. It becomes a proclamation of God’s faithfulness, even when He seems distant. Even when all appears lost.
In the time of Jesus, the people would have known this psalm by heart. Hearing those first words, they would not have stopped at the cry of anguish. Like recognizing the beginning of a familiar phrase, they would have recalled what comes next, the steady movement toward hope, toward redemption, toward triumph.
And so, from the Cross, Jesus is not only expressing the depth of human suffering, He is also pointing beyond it. He is anchoring Himself, and us, in the truth that God does not abandon. That suffering is not the end. That even here, especially here, God is at work.
Today, do not rush past the Cross.
Sit with it. Stay in the tension. Enter into the silence and the sorrow, but do so with the quiet confidence that this is not the end of the story.
Open your Bible and slowly read Psalm 22 in its entirety. Let it lead you from lament to trust…from darkness to the first glimmer of victory.
spiritual
On this Good Friday, make an effort to attend The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord and start the DIVINE MERCY NOVENA.
A Prayer for Good Friday from mycatholic.life
My Most Glorious and Suffering Lord, it is Your Hour.
It is the Hour by which You conquered sin and death.
It is the Hour for which You came into this world, taking on flesh so as to offer Your precious life for the salvation of the world.
May I be with You, dear Lord, in these moments of suffering and death.
May I, like Your Mother, John and Mary Magdalene, stand at the foot of the Cross, gazing upon the perfect Gift of Love.
My suffering Lord, may I see in Your Cross the most perfect act ever known in this world. May I see Love in its most pure form.
May my eyes and soul look beyond the blood and pain and see Your Divine Heart, pouring forth Mercy upon me and upon the whole world.
Today I kneel in silent adoration of You, my God.
I sit quietly, beholding the great mystery of our faith.
I behold God, beaten, bruised, mocked, tortured and killed.
But in this act, I see all grace and Mercy flowing from Your wounded Heart. Bathe the world in Your Mercy, dear Lord.
Cover us with Your grace and draw us to new life through Your death.
I love You, dear Lord. I love You with all my heart.
Jesus, I trust in You.
self
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,
all that I have and possess.
Thou hast given all to me.
To Thee, O Lord, I return it.
All is thine; dispose of it wholly according to thy will.
Give me Thy love and Thy grace,
for this is sufficient for me.
~St. Ignatius of Loyola
Is there a part of this prayer that is hard for you to pray? Why?
Ask God for the grace to surrender completely to Him and pray this with all your heart.
service
On Good Friday, one of our traditions is to enter into silence for 3 full hours from 12 noon until 3PM. During that time, do something you have been putting off or that you don't like doing. Maybe it's organizing an overflowing closet, raking the dead grass, deep cleaning the bathrooms, etc. Pick something that needs to get done and do it in silence, meditating on Christ's Passion and death. Yes, kids can do this, too! It may not be completely silent, but you can teach them about the solemnity of the day and the importance of living our faith.
simple recipe
SWEET POTATO MINESTRONE
This is one of my favorite soups!
It's simple, easy and a good fit on this Good Friday.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
1 large onion chopped
4 large stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 large carrots sliced thin
8 ounces green beans cut into 1 inch pieces (or green peas)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Cannellini beans
1 teaspoon rosemary
Directions
Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning, rosemary, salt and pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, broth, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
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