March 24, 2022

PURPLE

 

Some nights - all looks purple – especially the water on the cobblestones and the lipstick on the teenagers outside the drugstore.

 

Some nights – all looks purple.

 

That’s the way it looked the night they arrested Jesus.  They dressed him in purple.   They wanted to mock him, needle him with thorns, crown him as a king.

 

Some nights all looks purple – especially the purple cuts and chunks of flesh of Jesus’ back – after they scourged him – and beat him.

 

Then there was purple blood flooding and flowing down his back and onto the purple stone below.

 

Some nights all looks purple.

 

And Judas that same night turned purple. His purple tongue hung out of his mouth  as he gave his last shout.  He hung himself – the very same night he drank the wine of Jesus – the very same night he heard Jesus’ words of love.

 

Judas’ hands were purple – hands that touched the bread – hands that fondled the coins till they bled – turning his hands red – becoming  purple in the night  - hands  that threw the coins head first back at the high priest – hands that tightened the rope as he put it around his neck.

 

Some nights are purple.

 

Father forgive us – for we don’t know what we are doing.

 

Forgive me my sins – for wearing purple vestments and white linen – while  not seeing Lazarus at my door step.

 

Purple – the color of my sins.

 

The Dark Night of my Soul is colored purple.

 

Purple is the color of the King – the King of Kings.

 

 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2022