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[As he was
carrying his cross,] a large crowd of people followed Jesus,
including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them
and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for
yourselves and for your children."
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"I’m
holding on your rope,
got me ten feet off the ground, and I’m hearing what you say, but
I just
can’t make a sound. You tell me that you
need me, then you go and cut me down. But wait, you tell me that
you’re sorry. Didn’t think I’d turn around and
say that it’s too late to apologize:
it’s too late."
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The man in Timbaland and OneRepublic's
song "Apologize" has
been hurt by the lady in the relationship, and she says that she is
sorry. But
apparently this has either happened before or the man is not ready to
accept apologies, and so he says that
it’s too late
to apologize. He may definitely be
right, and he has to move on to another relationship, but the lady
must
say that she’s
sorry if her life is to be what it should be.
Every one of us must learn to apologize if we have done something to
hurt another.
Interpreting the cries and laments of the women who were following Jesus as he was led to crucifixion, one can easily think in terms of "apology." The women were in a sense apologizing for what was happening to Jesus--the cruelty of the Roman soldiers, the hatred of the Hebrew religious leaders, everyone's lack of concern for an innocent man. Jesus accepted their apology and told them to care for themselves, their children, and their future. People hurt one another. In the course of human interaction, it is bound to happen. One of the marks of maturity and leadership is the ability to recognize those things for which we are responsible, and then actually speak the apology with the intention to remedy what happened. A familiar poem describes it well: Three words, eight
letters, so difficult to say.
They're stuck inside of me, they try and stay away. But this is too important to let them have their way. I need to do it now, I must do it today. I am sorry. As
we study our lives, it becomes clear that we have hurt some people. As
the lady in Timbaland's song, if we want to be Christian in our
approach to life, we must apologize once we understand that we have
caused harm. Sometimes, as in the song, the apology may not even be
accepted, but that is not the important thing. The important thing is
that we have recognized the wrong, that we have said the words of apology, and that, as far as possible, we will try to
remedy the situation.
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THOUGHT
Why is it so difficult
to apologize?
PRAYER Good
and gracious
God, your Son was treated so shamefully when he closed his life, and he
accepted the apology of some women who were there to help him. Help us
learn to apologize when we have done something wrong. Be with us,
we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |