Lenten Pathway – Week Seven: The Final Threshold – The Way of the Cross

A Word for the Way: Guiding Scripture for the Week

“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
—John 13:1b

This is the week where nothing is held back.
Not the pain.
Not the love.
Not the truth of what it means to walk into death
and still believe in life.

We walk through palms and betrayal,
through temple stones and garden dirt,
through wood and nails and silence.

The cross is not yet overcome.
The tomb is not yet open.
But Jesus does not turn away.

This is the invitation of Week Seven:

To walk slowly through the story—not as a reader, but as a witness.
To listen for the voice that still calls us by name.
To let yourself be broken open by the love that does not leave.
To stay present, even in the silence.
To trust that God is still God—
even in the grave.

Core Practice: Staying with the Story

Each day, read one portion of the Passion narrative (from the Gospels: Matthew 26–28, Mark 14–16, Luke 22–24, John 18–20).

After reading, do not analyze.
Do not rush.
Simply whisper:

“I am still here.”

Let this be your posture for the week—
a spiritual and physical staying.
A gentle resistance to distraction.
A way to hold space for what is being given.

Let your body remember:
Faith is not always movement.
Sometimes it is remaining.

Additional Offering: A Shared Practice — Light in the Shadow

Each evening from Thursday to Saturday, light a single candle.

Let it burn as you eat, breathe, or sit in silence.
Do not pray with words unless they come.
Let the flame itself be your prayer.

If the weight feels too much, whisper:

“Even here, Love is with me.”

If the silence feels holy, say:

“I will stay with you through the night.”

You do not have to feel strong.
You only have to stay near.

A Final Word for Those Walking This Pathway

You have walked through Lent not as a performance,
but as a practice of presence.

You have fasted from speed.
You have allowed silence to speak.
You have lingered in the garden and the grave.

Now—do not fear the cross.

It is not the end.
It is the door.
The place where Love went all the way through.

You are not alone in the watching.
You are not alone in the breaking.
You are not alone in the waiting for dawn.

And resurrection—
resurrection comes not to those who hurried,
but to those who stayed.

Let the light remain.
Let the silence stretch.
Let this be the week that marks you—not with fear, but with love that does not flinch.