A Profound Holy Week

This year's Holy Week has been profound. Of course there is always the freeing-feeling joy of Palm Sunday, which then is followed by ever-increasing worry and anxiety, as we know where the long Way of the Cross leads.

It seems to me that life is like that: a longish period where we go along, happy enough, contented, and perhaps joyful. But that does not go on in an uninterrupted fashion, forever. At some point we realize, through the pressures of life or a health scare, a financial reversal or the loss of a loved one, that we cannot do this life alone. We may realize that, in our pride, we had planned to make our lives "just right"; that is, like whatever we experienced before "the tornado" - inner or outer, while we still felt in control, & that life was smooth and pleasant.

This is where Jesus steps in to give us His everlasting gift of Holy Thursday: his divinity, his strength, his hope, in the form of Holy Communion, with Him and with each other. What a profound, loving gift He has given us - He, who has the greatest foresight of all! How fortunate we are to be included, invited, called to His table!

In a way similar to that of a driver at the Indianapolis 500, each person is quite unique, has full responsibility for his or her choices on the long road ahead, and will need a number of "pit stops", for refreshment, resilience, and the strengthening of resolve. For us, each Sunday Mass can be such a glorious, rest-filled pit stop. We know that our Indy 500 won't go on forever, that the choices we make are crucial, and that those choices will determine our own well-being.

This is so akin to the choices Christ demands of us, our answers to which will determine the quality of our Eternity. What a lot of respect he shows us, in the form of our ability to choose, knowing that He will help us, if asked; but that He will not override our choices!

'Calvary' comes, for most people, more than once in a lifetime. We doubt, we are desperate, we despair. We pray to God Our Father for help!

The aforementioned trials over time wear us down. Life becomes burdensome. We perceive and feel the proverbial 'walls' closing in on us.

Then, somehow, sooner or later, we return to The Light. We find hope again, and joy. The Greatest Light of all is when we meet Christ face-to-face after the 'Calvary' of our own death. He brings us up from earthly darkness if we have been faithful to Him & have followed His often difficult commands, in love.

Consider this: Would you like to meet Jesus Christ in a spring garden setting, on a beautiful, sunny day, just the two of you, meeting for coffee (or wine or diet coke) and a lovely chat? I sure know I would!!!

Happy Easter, Everyone!