Break open my heart
As a Catholic, Easter is proof that I am part of a resurrection people. But, for this to be true in any meaningful way, I must first be a Good Friday person.
The Triduum and Good Friday are rich with meaning and invitation to a deeper understanding of the Divine Mystery and the many ways the Spirit is active in our world and my life. Good Friday poses questions for me that this year are largely shaped by the horrific suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Jesus, a brown man from a rural location, was both Palestinian and Jewish. Who am I as I look at the crucified Christ on the cross? In what ways do my cultural identities intersect with those of Christ? In what ways am I nothing like this figure? If God is up on the cross, where am I? How can I stay with the cross, keep looking, bear witness, and not rush ahead to Easter just yet?
Lord, let me stay with Christ on the cross in Gaza. Let me also stay with Christ on the cross in Ukraine, Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan, Venezuela, Haiti and with the Israeli victims of October 7. Let me stay with Christ on the cross and bear witness to people suffering from addiction, hunger, gun violence, mental illness, physical illness, houselessness, exclusion, imprisonment, abuse, neglect, insecurity, and despair.
Lord, help me to stay with the crucified Christ, break open my heart, transform me.
Kelly Hickman serves as the Director of Development for Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) Northwest and President of the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul at St. Edward Parish in Seattle, WA, where she lives.