“Nor did demons crucify Him; it is you who have crucified Him and crucify Him still, when you delight in your vices and sins. ”
― Francis of Assisi
(statue in a yard in San Antonio, Texas / Julie Cook / 2014)
We threw caution to the wind
Living for the moment
Self centered, selfish, self
Focusing inward, never outward
As the hammer hit the nail
They did it
That was our familiar cry
It was all them, certainly not me
We claimed none of that
Again a hammer hits another nail
Blood poured out upon our hands
yet there was no acknowledgement
How could that be
Self becoming blood
Another nail is struck
Blood mixes with sin
Flowing down a tree
Spreading out over the dirt
I pick up the linen
Blood covers my hands
It doesn’t wipe off
Lightning streaks across the blackened sky
Was it the thunder which shook the ground
The bitter taste of bile swirls through a dry mouth
I didn’t do this, I swear
The women cry as the people turn away
Three times a rooster crows
There’s another one dead
As the body twists on the noose
The demons in hell are dancing
For once, this was not their doing
Hands still stained
Metal striking metal
There’s money on the ground
Was it just a dream?
Needing to hide,
We run to the shadows
Still claiming none of it
It’s all too much to ignore
Voices cry out
I hear my name
Clean hands reach for the blood soaked hands I hide
Eyes meet mine
Guilt is freely taken
Brokeness made straight
The demons dance no more
Shadows never lie
As Light now breaks the darkness
Battles rage no more
with Victory now at hand
We step out from the grave
The Price is paid in full
Death has lost again
Triumphantly Hope remains alive