There are many different dimensions to Holy Week. That is the richness of the tapestry of our faith. God is the totality of everything in the universe and in that we can can discover new revelations. Things that make us go wow! I like to think of Holy Week as Christ planning, preparing, going to battle, and then savoring His victory. After all isn't his death and suffering about a battle we lost so many years ago in a luscious garden. Christ is the second wave, the reinforcement coming to our rescue. Without Him we are truly dead - dead to sin, lifeless in the divine. We are given the first clue when Christ is tempted in the desert. Satan is ready to demonstrate his willingness to take on Christ. Satan works through his minions, Judas, the Sanhedrin, the Chief Priest, Herod, Pilate, the Roman soldiers, and all of us collectively who on a daily basis give Jesus another lash by our sinfulness. He plans his battle by coming back to Jerusalem where he is greeted by a large crowd waving palms, next he has large planning session with the troops. He shows them that they are really the masters and that He is truly the servant. He tells them of His greatest gift before He goes off to battle. The gift of Himself an everlasting gift of the Eucharist. Finally its D-Day (death on cross) day. He is captured and tortured but he won't give in. The Romans have a way of dealing with this kind of enemy - crucifixion, a nasty, slow and torturous death determined to put away this adversary for good. And that is exactly what they thought until the stone was found... rolled away from His tomb. This week we focus our attention in the re-enactment of this great battle. We try our best to feel in our hearts what our great warrior King felt as He was suffering. He fought for us and took it like a man, no,...much more than a man... He has in Him all the courage that I lack. That is why I love Him so much, because truly I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have to give away my self and join Him right now, this very moment in his great battle. I have to be prepared to be in the midst of the battle, and for that I need prayer.
Pope Francis
Monday, March 29, 2010
Christ - The Divine Warrior
There are many different dimensions to Holy Week. That is the richness of the tapestry of our faith. God is the totality of everything in the universe and in that we can can discover new revelations. Things that make us go wow! I like to think of Holy Week as Christ planning, preparing, going to battle, and then savoring His victory. After all isn't his death and suffering about a battle we lost so many years ago in a luscious garden. Christ is the second wave, the reinforcement coming to our rescue. Without Him we are truly dead - dead to sin, lifeless in the divine. We are given the first clue when Christ is tempted in the desert. Satan is ready to demonstrate his willingness to take on Christ. Satan works through his minions, Judas, the Sanhedrin, the Chief Priest, Herod, Pilate, the Roman soldiers, and all of us collectively who on a daily basis give Jesus another lash by our sinfulness. He plans his battle by coming back to Jerusalem where he is greeted by a large crowd waving palms, next he has large planning session with the troops. He shows them that they are really the masters and that He is truly the servant. He tells them of His greatest gift before He goes off to battle. The gift of Himself an everlasting gift of the Eucharist. Finally its D-Day (death on cross) day. He is captured and tortured but he won't give in. The Romans have a way of dealing with this kind of enemy - crucifixion, a nasty, slow and torturous death determined to put away this adversary for good. And that is exactly what they thought until the stone was found... rolled away from His tomb. This week we focus our attention in the re-enactment of this great battle. We try our best to feel in our hearts what our great warrior King felt as He was suffering. He fought for us and took it like a man, no,...much more than a man... He has in Him all the courage that I lack. That is why I love Him so much, because truly I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have to give away my self and join Him right now, this very moment in his great battle. I have to be prepared to be in the midst of the battle, and for that I need prayer.
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