You Loved Them To The End

You Loved Them To The End

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

Jesus, the priests, elders, teachers, leaders of your people 

Stand to condemn you with mouths filled with lies

How do you respond? 

You say nothing but your heart radiates love

For your chosen people, who call you enemy

If only they would turn, and still some may

Then you would gather them to you

To the end, your heart aches with love for them

And then bound before Pilate

Bloodthirsty, heathen, manipulative self-interest

But child of God still the same. 

If only he would receive your living water

Your bread of life, the light you shine

But this is just another political calculation

Doing whatever to keep this bloody peace

And to the end, with love, your soul mourns his hard-heartedness

Now the crowds, chanting against you, whipped to a frenzy

You see and know each one

Timaeus, Alpheus, Sharon, Joses, Efraim

Jonath, Mara, Michah, Imma, Eli

Each created as a gift, a vessel for your love, Treasured

But they shout for your blood and choose a criminal for freedom

How your heart breaks to see them captive and ensnared in hatred

And yet you love them to the end

And the soldiers taking advantage of your helplessness

Mocking, striking, spitting, taunting

Outdoing one another with cruelty

So far from what they were created to be

To show kindness, to bless and build up

As the blows rain down upon you, you cry out in your spirit with each impact

I, Love, You, Beloved, Child, Not, Forgotten, Forgive, Them

You send out blessings as they beat you

Even the soldiers you love to the end

Now they nail you to the cross, and your blood flows freely

Crying out your love to all those gathered jeering

If only they could see the compassion in your eyes

Your deep desire for reconciliation

For thieves to join you in paradise

For an end to the mourning and suffering and death

You love them to the end and so, every fiber of your being cries out

“Father forgive them for they know not what they do” 

Even in your despair, you hold onto love

For each of these your children, gone so far astray

Jesus, we know your enemy love by this

That while we were still sinners

you loved us in your passion

You loved us to the end

© Dale Gish 2020. All Rights Reserved.

This prayer was inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. If you are interested in praying the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with me starting in September, please contact me.