Seven Last Words—
Into your hands
White Crucifixion (1938), by Belarussian-Russian-French modernist Marc Chagall (Art Institute of Chicago). Chagall is reportedly the preferred artist of Pope Francis I, and White Crucifixion is reportedly his favorite painting.
Published date 3/25/2024
Faith in Reckless Love
By Susan Prinz
When I was a little girl, a regular family outing was a trip to Cocoa Beach, a two-block walk to white powdery sand, dunes covered with native grasses, waves bluer than the sky. With the beach blanket spread, Mom settled with the baby, the adventure began for my sister and me. Daddy would walk us into the water, and when the water became scary, he’d pick us up and keep walking till the water was up to his chest. Then he’d stop, and we’d begin the slow process of letting go of his neck, adventuring out along his shoulders and arms, till, finally, we were holding on to his hands, far away from safety, at least in our minds.
Pam and I learned something of trust at the beach, to trust that our dad would hold tight, wouldn’t lose us as we ventured forth. Perhaps that too is what Jesus teaches us with his final words from the cross in Luke's Gospel, that we can trust in God, no matter what the dangers. “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”, my life, my death, my everything.
More than any other Gospel, Luke stresses Jesus’ relationship with God, in his regular withdrawal from the demands of his work to spend time in prayer. Given this reality of his life, this practice of prayer to spend time with God, Jesus’ final words of deep trust and relationship are no surprise. His life shows us a pattern of growing in relationship with God; and when the end came, Jesus trusted that God would be with him in whatever he was to face.
Perhaps our Lenten journey is one of learning to trust, to have faith in God’s reckless love for us, God’s deep desire for our return to him. We have an opportunity here to learn something more of trust this season, to swim in the ever-deepening waters of faith, relationship, and reunion with God.
Father, into your hands, we commend our spirits. Amen.
© 2021 Susan Prinz
The Rev. Susan Prinz, Ph.D., is a native of the Florida East Coast, now a long-time resident of Columbia, having moved here from Summerville in 1976 to attend USC, where she received a B.A. in Journalism and a M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Education. She is married to Ron Prinz, a professor of psychology at USC, and they are parents of Elizabeth, who lives and works in London in the field of women’s health and fitness.
Susan graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, in May 2010 and was ordained in 2011. She served both at St. Michael and All Angels’ and most recently at St. Martin’s in the Fields. She retired from active parish ministry in January 2021 and now spends her time as a spiritual director, hiker, cyclist, yogi and budding bread-maker. She looks forward to the day when travel adventures become frequent, especially the adventure of wrapping her mama’s arms around her much-loved, but distant daughter!