Today we enter the holiest week of the year for Christians around the world. We hear, we sing, we pray, and we recount the scripture stories of the fulfillment of all God’s covenants: the realization from the beginning of time of God’s plan for us—the Paschal Mystery—the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This time for we who believe, is not about coloring eggs and Easter egg hunts, or chocolate, or bunnies, or butter shaped like lambs, and ham. All of these things are lovely custom and tradition: they celebrate the end of the Lenten season and new life in the start of Spring—new life in the world of nature. This time for us as believers is to understand and experience in our very core and center that Jesus sacrificed himself for us. He died and rose; alive after death!
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord allows us the time to prepare our hearts and minds for the Paschal Mystery. We turn toward the cross today; we are in the shadow of the cross this week until the beginning of the Triduum on Thursday. We are in the stark reality of the sacrifice; and yet, at the same time, we are all fallow ground for the faith-filled growth of our spirit.
Some synonyms for the word stark are: barren bare, severe, harsh, desolate, and austere. This is a time of paring down; stripping, trimming and preparing ourselves for this time ahead. Those persons who join us only for Christmas and Easter are very welcome; but they miss the point. They miss the experience of the stark reality of our faith—our whole year of faith. The reason Jesus came as a babe was to witness God’s love, to teach and help us to understand God’s word, and to sacrifice himself on the cross and save us. Then He rises from the dead for us and sends us an advocate—so we too, may be as He himself was among us in this field of souls. That is the point; that is the stark reality of our faith. But Be Not Afraid of this demanding love! For there is great joy in the journey of your spirit—if you would only show up to travel the way…
Keep singing!
Elizabeth Dyc
This time for we who believe, is not about coloring eggs and Easter egg hunts, or chocolate, or bunnies, or butter shaped like lambs, and ham. All of these things are lovely custom and tradition: they celebrate the end of the Lenten season and new life in the start of Spring—new life in the world of nature. This time for us as believers is to understand and experience in our very core and center that Jesus sacrificed himself for us. He died and rose; alive after death!
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord allows us the time to prepare our hearts and minds for the Paschal Mystery. We turn toward the cross today; we are in the shadow of the cross this week until the beginning of the Triduum on Thursday. We are in the stark reality of the sacrifice; and yet, at the same time, we are all fallow ground for the faith-filled growth of our spirit.
Some synonyms for the word stark are: barren bare, severe, harsh, desolate, and austere. This is a time of paring down; stripping, trimming and preparing ourselves for this time ahead. Those persons who join us only for Christmas and Easter are very welcome; but they miss the point. They miss the experience of the stark reality of our faith—our whole year of faith. The reason Jesus came as a babe was to witness God’s love, to teach and help us to understand God’s word, and to sacrifice himself on the cross and save us. Then He rises from the dead for us and sends us an advocate—so we too, may be as He himself was among us in this field of souls. That is the point; that is the stark reality of our faith. But Be Not Afraid of this demanding love! For there is great joy in the journey of your spirit—if you would only show up to travel the way…
Keep singing!
Elizabeth Dyc
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