Mark 15:33-41

From noon until three in the afternoon the whole earth was dark. At three, Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you left me?”

After hearing him, some standing there said, “Look! He’s calling Elijah!” Someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, and put it on a pole. He offered it to Jesus to drink, saying, “Let’s see if Elijah will come to take him down.” But Jesus let out a loud cry and died.

The curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who stood facing Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “This man was certainly God’s Son.”

Some women were watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James (the younger one) and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women had followed and supported him, along with many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him.

Mark 15:33-41, Common English Bible (c) 2011

The women may have watched from a distance, but at least they were there.  They did one of the most important things we can do in the face of death: show up.  Be there to comfort the grieving, to support one another, to hold a hand or to offer a shoulder to cry on.  Being physically present for another is an act of grace, an act of love.

Many of the people who serve Jesus go unnamed and unrecognized.  The quote “do little things with great love” (St. Therese of Lisieux, a.k.a. “The Little Flower”) comes to mind.   Small deeds and random acts of kindness do make a difference – even when no one notices.

-Teressa Clark, 2012

Lenten Reflections 2019:  Following Jesus from the Mount of Olives to the Tomb ~ Day 39