The Kiss

As I open the door, I hear the steady breathing of my sleeping daughter. Instinctively I lean over and gently kiss her on the forehead. She doesn't stir. Quietly, I step back and close the door behind me, smiling. I think to myself, daughters are very precious indeed. 

The kiss. The perfect kiss happens in a moment, but time may stand still for an eternity.

A kiss requires our full attention. Albert Einstein once said: 'Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves'.

'A man's kiss is his signature,' says Mae West. And yet, isn't it also true that some signatures leave nothing but a scribble, just a forgery?

I wonder, have you ever been betrayed by a kiss?

Judas, one of Jesus' closest friends, was a trusted companion. For three years, he ate, slept, travelled, cried, and laughed with Jesus. Jesus shared his life with his friend until the end. And yet, for reasons we may never fully understand, Judas chose to turn on his friend. He collaborated with those who wanted to kill Jesus and identified him to the Roman guards with a kiss.

The wounds of an enemy may hurt, but the wounds of a friend cut deep.

During Holy Week we are reminded of the silence of Jesus in the pain he suffered. His journey to the cross exposed the evil all around him. The secret plotting behind closed doors; the unfair arrest, the mock trials, the abusive lashings, the crown of thorns and finally the walk of death; carrying his own cross outside the city to the place where they crucified him.

But the cross reminds me of another kind of kiss signed with love -

                             A perfect love that is tender, loyal and true.

                             A powerful love that remains vulnerable and forgiving.

The love of Jesus never demands its own way and never turns away.

It is a patient and strong, even stronger than death.

...But that leads us to another story!

Now over to you:

• What does a kiss mean to you? Can you remember a special kiss?

• If you are a parent, how does your feelings about your own children give you an insight into the way God thinks about you? Do you think that God thinks to himself, 'daughters (and sons) are very precious indeed!'
• Disappointment and hurt from betrayal of trust can cut deep. How can it help in the healing process to know that Jesus identifies with us in our pain?
• The cross of Jesus has become the symbol for Christian faith. What does the cross mean to you?

Prayer suggestions:

• Pray for those who are have been betrayed by family members or close friends
• The cross exposes evil intentions of the heart. Pray for God's protection of those who are vulnerable to evil in our parish.
• The cross demonstrates God's love. Give thanks that he identifies with our pain and suffers with us in Jesus. Ask Jesus to show you more of his love.