TheTunic (part 2)

(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus.)

  Cato's gut feeling was correct.  Today was a bad day.  The Jewish people were completely out of control screaming for Pilate to crucify Jesus.  Cato thought this whole situation was ridiculous.  Who cares if this man thinks he is God's son?  There were plenty of Roman gods. What difference did one more god make?  The whole thing was stupid.  Cato also knew Pilate couldn't afford to have any more bad reports sent back to Rome. Cato was sorry he was ever assigned to this region.
  By midmorning the situation was almost completely out of control.  Pilate had Jesus scourged hoping this would settle things down, but it didn't.  Pilate then gave the decree. He handed Jesus over to the Jewish leaders and told them to go ahead and crucify him.  Cato and the other soldiers were instructed to keep the crowds under control. It was up to them to make sure Jesus and two other criminals didn't die before their crucifixion.
  Cato saw his fellow soldiers throw the wooden beam at Jesus.  It was pathetic.  Jesus was so badly beaten, the weight of the beam almost crushed him.  Cato was good at his job, but he didn't enjoy torturing people as much as his fellow soldiers did.  Cato believed in justice and following orders.  He would make sure this pathetic man would still be alive for his crucifixion.
  As they began to walk down the streets, Cato pushed back the screaming crowd.  There were so many people in the streets making Cato's job difficult. Two men tried to push past Cato forcing him to break rank and push them to the ground.  When Cato turned around he saw Jesus had fallen.  A woman was bent down next to him.  Cato quickly grabbed the woman's arm to remove her.  As he turned to yell at her, Cato saw the pain in her eyes.  Her pain sliced through him as he heard her quietly cry, "My son....."  He held her back as his fellow soldiers forced Jesus to stand. Cato wished he had not looked into her eyes. The pain in her eyes were burned into his memory.
(to be continued...)

-Susan

The Tunic

(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus.)

  Cato woke up early. He knew it was going to be another long day. The Jewish leaders were in an uproar over some wandering, miracle healer claiming to be the Son of God. Cato didn't like or understand the people in Jerusalem. They made his job as a soldier very difficult.  He thought life could be a lot easier if they would just surrender their lives to Caesar.  
  Crowd control will be ridiculous if the Jews continue to riot for this Jesus to be crucified.  Cato had seen Jesus taken into custody.  There was nothing special about him.  For the most part, he stood there silently.  He didn't even try to fight back.  He did not exhibit any special god-like powers.  Cato wondered for a minute what Jesus did to get everyone so mad?  Then Cato thought to himself, "Who cares?  What difference could this man's life make anyways?  Who will even remember this man past this week?"
  Cato quietly exited his house.  He didn't want to disturb his wife and son.  The only time his son Remus looked free of pain was when he was sleeping. Cato jumped on the back of his horse and headed towards the praetorium.  He hoped Pilate's mood would not be too foul today.
(to be continued....)

-Susan

Ash Wednesday

  Yesterday my daughter asked me, "So, Mom, have you figured out what you're going to do for Lent?"  We spent the next couple minutes sharing what we both intended to do.  Our plans were completely different, and there's nothing wrong with that.  After all, we are completely different people.  We both have one thing in common, though,  our willingness to try to change.  We both desire to draw closer to Christ.
  Lent isn't going to magically change us. We have to do the work.  We have to change our own habits.  We have to ask the tough questions. "Do people see Jesus when they look at me? Am I really the child of God I was created to be?"
  Each of our souls longs to be united with God.  What could we do differently to make that happen?  My answer may differ from yours and that's perfectly fine, because if we are committed to discovering the Truth, we will all find ourselves united as one in the very heart of Jesus.
  Let's become more loving.  Let's become more faithful.  Let's live like we are already in heaven.  Let's become united in Christ.

-Susan

A Story of Love

  I recently bought a very cute, soft, plush Jesus doll.  I showed it to my 5 month old granddaughter and told her how much Jesus loves her. I was pleasantly surprised when she pulled Jesus in close and gave Him a kiss on the cheek.  It was so sweet.
  We are never too old or too young to fall in love with Jesus.  As we get ready to enter the season of Lent, I thought this might be a good time for each of us to reflect on our own love story with Jesus.  Have you always loved Him or is this a more recent discovery?  Do you love Him with all your heart, most of your heart, or just some of your heart?  Where do you see this relationship heading?  Of all the moments you have had with Jesus, what is your most favorite?  Spend some time sharing your responses with Jesus, and then ask Him what His favorite moment is with you.

-Susan