A MEDITATION ON THE LAST SEVEN WORDS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS The Rev. Canon Dr. Winfred Vergara (4/15/2022) To what can we compare the seven last words of Jesus on the Cross? Writer and theologian Alfred McBride likens it to the song of the thorn bird. The thorn bird is a legendary bird that sings only once in its lifetime. From the moment it leaves its nest, it flies around looking for the longest and sharpest thorn and having found it, it impales itself. As the thorn pierces through it, it sings the sweetest and most melodious music. It outsings the larks and the nightingales and all the hummingbirds and the whole world stops to listen to the song. It makes a point that the ultimate joy can only be purchased with the highest price of self-sacrifice. Jesus Christ made seven final words during his last hours on the cross. Like the last will and testament of a dying man, these statements were couched in poetic words like the song of the thorn bird. As I meditate on these words,