Good Friday
It seemed appropriate that it was overcast and raining the day I captured this image. After all, it portrays Jesus being put to death on a cross. This crucifix is located in Cedar Hill cemetery in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The monument is surrounded by cross shaped tombstones where Catholic nuns from the local order Sisters of Mercy are buried. Some of these nuns cared for sick and wounded soldiers during the Civil War. However, much of the care was not for gunshot wounds or wartime injuries. Most of the deaths from that period were a result of disease. The dates on the tombstones indicate that the majority of the nuns that died during the Civil War period were only in their twenties at the time of their death. It is likely that they contracted illnesses from the soldiers in their care.
Over a million people around the world have contracted a terrible disease from the current pandemic. Many more have been asked to make sacrifices for the better good. Doctors, nurses and first responders are putting themselves at risk everyday. This may be remembered as a period of suffering and sacrifice. However, we are currently living this story and the story is not over. We are not certain what the final chapter will be.
A message of hope
Today is Good Friday. Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. A day in which Jesus suffered on the cross as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind. Christians celebrate Good Friday because they believe a message of hope arose from the suffering and sacrifice. The image of the cross above was taken in front of Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the belief of Christians that the story did not end with suffering and sacrifice. The story continued with a message of hope, forgiveness and love. What is the final chapter of our current story? Maybe it has already been written. Maybe, just maybe, we win in the end.