Holy
Week
“In
God's eyes, love is never absent. In God's heart, forgiveness is
never impossible. In God's embrace, no one is ever alone or
forgotten. God bless.”
BoyBanat
Website
Holy
week begins, the prelude to Easter's resurrection. I wonder what you
think of this week. What do you make of the suffering and trial and
crucifixion of Jesus? Is it a necessary step in God's plan? How does
Holy Week fit into your own life? Does it still have meaning for you?
These are the kinds of questions that come up for me. I'll be honest,
I'd rather have a hang nail or a stumped toe than try to make sense of Holy
Week.
I
don't like the idea that God, creator of the universe, benefactor of
love eternal as Jesus taught, would turn and instigate the brutal
murder of his child. I don't believe the killing of anyone's child is
an act of God. And, I don't like the idea that Jesus had to die to
atone for the grievous sins of humankind. I just don't like any of
it.
Here's
what I believe about Holy Week. If you take this and two-dollars, you
can buy a good cup of coffee...but not a latte. I believe that the
joy of Palm Sunday, followed by the trials and tribulations, the
betrayal and abandonment by the disciples, as well as the faithful
presence of the women, represent many aspects of our own lives. Most
of us experience all of these over the course of a lifetime and Holy
Week is a condensed version of everyone's life. We all have to die,
and death is rarely easy. I think what Easter's resurrection
represents is the blessed release from all of that; release from the
loop of pain and suffering followed by joy followed by pain and
suffering that life provides. It is an act of eternal hope; all that
we experience in life has meaning, is a gift that builds our very
nature, and teaches us compassion.
For
me, Holy Week is an introduction to the biggest secret of all—death is
not the end. Life is eternal, though we do not know what shape it
takes after this time on Earth. Jesus' message to us this week, “Do
not despair. I am here always. And so are you.”
In
the spirit,
Jane
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