This week we observe Good Friday of the Lord's Passion.In the last chapter of the last book of his Treatise on the Love of God, Francis de Sales wrote: "The death and passion of our Lord is the sweetest and the most compelling motive that can animate our hearts in this mortal life. It is the very truth that mystical bees make their most excellent honey in the wounds of this 'lion of the tribe of Judah,' slain, pierced and rent upon the Mount of Calvary. The children of the cross glory in this, their wondrous paradox that the world does not understand: Out of death - which devours all things - has come the food of our consolation; and out of death - strong above all things - has issued the all-sweet honey of our love. O Jesus my Savior, how worthy of love is your death, for it is the supreme effect of your love...Mount Calvary is the mount of lovers.

All love that does not take its origin in the Savior's passion is foolish and perilous. Unhappy is death without the Saviors' love; unhappy is love without the Savior's death. Love and death are so mingled in the Savior's passion that we cannot have the one in our hearts without the other.

Upon Calvary we cannot have life without love, or love without the Redeemer's death. Except there, all is either eternal death or eternal love. All Christian wisdom consists in choosing rightly..." (XII, 13)Paraphrasing Francis de Sales, Calvary might be described as 'the school for lovers.' On this Good Friday, what is it that Jesus might be trying to teach us? What might we need to learn from Him?

(Rev) Michael S. Murray, OSFS
Director
De Sales Spirituality Center
"Practical Paths to Holiness"www.oblates.org/spirituality