I didn’t do traditional “church things,” on Good Friday this year. Instead, Good Friday seemed to follow my entire Lenten journey for the year – it was lackluster.
I failed to remember our chapel was holding a noon service on Good Friday, so instead of taking my squirmy preschooler and strapping the baby to me for church, we headed to our local library for some quiet time.
At about 2:45 PM, I realized the time was coming up as to the time of death for Jesus on the Cross. For those struggling to remember, Jesus died at 3 PM.
As I was sitting there with M occupied quietly with toys, and E simultaneously nursing and filling her diaper, I started scrolling through the apps on my iPhone.
I clicked on the “Divine Mercy” app developed and distributed by the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. The Divine Mercy Chaplet itself is a “newer” chaplet in the history of the Catholic Church, only having really been encouraged as a prayer method by (now) Saint Pope John Paul II.
I was clicking through the various sections of the app, trying to figure out how I wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on Jesus’ death on the Cross. Eventually, I stopped on the section of the app entitled, “3 O’Clock Hour.” For years, I have wondered why groups of prayer warriors get together to recite the chaplet at 3 PM.
This Good Friday, 25 March 2016 at 2:53 PM, the significance of 3 PM hit me…
The chaplet is recited at 3 PM because that is the time Christ died on the Cross for our sins.
I know the answer is also probably hidden within St. Faustina’s Diary, too, but that is a pretty intense, thick book.
I’m not sure if I am more excited about my epiphany, or because I finally figured out the answer to a question that has bugged me for years.
Does anyone else feel like celebrating when they’ve achieved a spiritual epiphany?
Because seriously? My mind is blown!
I know exactly what you mean by wanted to celebrate after you have a spiritual epiphany! Sometimes I will be sitting in the pews during a homily, or laying in bed waiting for sleep, and the answer will hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s like I have a permanent smile and I just want to scream out of the joy in realizing something that I have been wondering about for so long! I am a teenager, so I still have loads to learn, but I love learning. I love this post and I relate sooo much to it!
The more I learn about my Faith, the more I realize I don’t know!! I have tons of “ah-ha!” moments.
A FANTASTIC book that brought about several “ah-ha” moments about the Mass is “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist” by Brant Pitre. It’s filled with lessons that made most of us in the group that was reading go, “I didn’t know that!” And, a bunch of us are cradle Catholics.
So, I recommend you add that to your reading list as you grow with your Faith!
Thank you for letting me feel I’m not alone when I have a spiritual epiphany! I learned once that God allows us to understand and see Him in HIS time, and that’s what revelations are – God revealing His truth to us. He just let me see a glimpse of His lesson of mercy on Good Friday. Now, my challenge is to not miss the 3 PM hour of prayer, regardless of whether or not I pray the Divine Mercy.