Praying for Softened Hearts
Friday, April 18, 2025
Good Friday
Father Richard Rohr invites us to consider how loving surrender leads to softened hearts.
It is true that each of us will die, and yet “I am certain of this, neither death nor life, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, not any height nor depth, nor any created thing can ever come between us and the love of God” (Romans 8:38–39).
On Good Friday, we lament Jesus’ death while living in hope that death does not have the last word on our destiny. We are born with a longing, desire, and deep hope that this thing called life could somehow last forever. It is a premonition from something eternal that is already within us. Some would call it the soul. Christians would call it the indwelling presence of God. It is God within us that makes us desire and seek God.
Yes, we are going to die, but we have already been given a kind of inner guarantee and promise right now that death is not final—and it takes the form of love. Deep in the heart and psyche, love, both human and divine, connotes something eternal and gratuitous, and it does so in a deeply mysterious and compelling way. We see this in simple acts of love in the everyday and in times of crisis. Isn’t it amazing how a small act of love or gratitude can imprint a deeper knowing on our soul? [1]
The crucifixion of Jesus is the preeminent example of God’s love reaching out to us. It is at the same moment the worst and best thing in human history. The Franciscans, led by John Duns Scotus, even claimed that instead of a “necessary sacrifice,” the cross was a freely chosen revelation of total love on God’s part.
In so doing, they reversed the engines of almost all world religion up to that point, which assumed that we had to spill blood to get to a distant and demanding God. On the cross, the Franciscans believed, God was “spilling blood” to reach out to us! This is a sea change in consciousness. The cross, instead of being a transaction, was seen as a dramatic demonstration of God’s outpouring love, meant to utterly shock the heart and turn it back toward trust and love of the Creator. [2]
I believe that the cross is an image for our own time and every time: We are invited to gaze upon the image of the crucified Jesus to soften our hearts toward all suffering. The cross beckons us to what we would call “grief work,” holding the mystery of pain, looking right at it, and learning from it. With softened hearts, God leads us to an uncanny and newfound compassion and understanding. [3]
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Good Friday Devotional: Unfettered Love
Scripture:
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8 (NIV)
On this solemn day—Good Friday—we remember the darkest, most beautiful moment in human history: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is a day of mourning, but also of immeasurable love—a love that knows no bounds, no limits, no conditions.
Unfettered love is love without restriction. It isn’t cautious or calculating. It doesn’t wait for us to be ready or worthy. It moves first, reaches far, and gives all.
That is the love Jesus poured out on the cross.
He didn’t wait for the world to understand or appreciate His sacrifice. He didn’t require our obedience before He laid down His life. He saw our brokenness, our rebellion, our need—and still, He stretched out His arms in total surrender.
This is the love that speaks louder than words:
A love that bleeds.
A love that forgives.
A love that redeems.
Reflection:
Take a moment today to sit in the weight of the cross—not in guilt, but in awe. Christ didn’t go to the cross because we deserved it. He went because His love couldn’t be contained. It was too wild, too powerful, too holy to be held back by fear, rejection, or even death.
What kind of King dies for His enemies?
Only One—Jesus, whose love is unfettered.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus,
Today I stand before Your cross, overwhelmed by the depth of Your love.
You gave everything for me—not because I earned it, but because You are love itself.
Thank You for not holding anything back.
Help me to love like You—freely, fiercely, and without conditions.
Let Your unfettered love fill my heart today and always.
Amen.
Meditation Prompt:
How might your life look different if you fully embraced the truth that you are loved—without restraint, without condition, without end?
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A devotional thought from April 2011
April 27, 2011
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
The distinction is subtle and yet substantial. A relationship based on love not leverage? I suspect that in the right relationship with You, our desire is not for heaven or blessings or rescue. You do not desire a relationship based on what You can and will do for us, but a relationship based on Your love. All else will follow and is incidental to our relationship.
And God says…” You are starting to understand the relationship I want with you. The relationship I desired when I first created Adam, and the relationship I enjoy with My Son. I understand your needs and I will meet all your needs…but I seek a relationship based on love, not wants or needs. The depth of My sacrifice is a testimony to My love for you. And I give you My love freely, without reservation or requirement. Simply accept My love and the sacrifice of Jesus. Come and rest in relationship with Me.”
