Just when I think I will never again see a blue sky, some sun broke through for a while today, and gave us this beautiful sky with the snow covered lake and shore below.
I planned to spend 12-3 PM in some extended prayer time today. I began with a long walk in sometimes sun. When I returned home a gift had been delivered. One of the CDs was Bach's St. Matthew's Passion, just what Good Friday ordered. I had never listened to it. I had always found the length too intimidating. This English translation helped a lot.
I sat on the couch where I do my downstairs praying. It put me in the right mood. When the disciples slept in the Garden of Olives, I admit that I dozed off. Fortunately I didn't sleep through Jesus' whole agony. I was surprised that an old hymn I've know since I was a child takes its melody and some of its words from this Passion. "O Sacred Head Surrounded" is the hymn and, since I knew the melody, each time the chorale sang it I joined in.
The very last words sung by the chorus to Jesus are,
"Death, that holds Thee in its keeping,
When its bonds are loosed by Thee,
Shall become a welcome portal,
Leading man to life immortal,
Where he shall Thy glory see.
Savior blest,
Slumber now and take Thy rest.
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