Tragic

 April 22,2020

Tragic

“Nothing is more tragic than loving someone to the depths of your soul and knowing they cannot and will not ever love you back.”

― Rick Riordan, The Hidden Oracle

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

Good gosh and golly, remember being a teen? Remember those people early in your adolescent life for whom you had a crush? Remember the desperate feeling you had, if they would just look your way, or speak to you? And when they did your heart would sing and that yearning was satisfied even for just those few moments, only to return as their attention went elsewhere? 

That’s most likely a familiar feeling of “love” that was never returned in kind. But can you imagine that today? It might not be an adolescent attraction, but what about a hope you have to relate to someone? Maybe someone you admire or look up to with whom you just don’t see being able to make a relationship?

Our quote above goes pretty far in describing a desire for relationship that sounds far more adolescent than mature. But I think we can relate in some manner about some person in our life that we wanted to befriend, or more deeply involve ourselves with. We can feel separated from them as if a chasm has opened between us, keeping us ever from drawing together.

Jesus hung on the cross. He longed for a relationship with all of us. He wanted it to be deep and lasting. Jesus wanted each of us to open our spirits to him as he had opened his to God. God figured we’d be able to do that- human to human, as we had had so much trouble loving God’s self before. So, he sent his only beloved Son. For us to meet, greet, speak, eat with, laugh with, cry with, experience life with, love with. 

We betrayed him. We denied him. We watched him as he died. And he forgave us, loving us to the depths of his soul. 

I pray that we love him in return. I pray that I will.

Rev. Ken