Lenten Journey – Holy Week
Are you ready to celebrate the passion
of our Lord?
The focus of this reflection is going
to be love. I choose this topic because last week I was hit with
several 2x4's from God. He told me to wake up and realize how much he
loved me. He sent several people into my life in special ways to show
me his love. By the end of the week I had had enough and I woke up to
the realization that God really loves me and he shows that love
through other people in my life.
I know we talked about love back in
week 3 when I reflected on relationships. But this time we will go
deeper and in a different direction. I hope that this reflection will
help you to make this week a very special, prayerful time. Let us
together close out this Lenten season and celebrate the Easter
Triduum with increased fervor for living our personal call to be
apostles for Christ.
How many of us struggle through each
day just trying to survive?
I do! I struggle each day to do all the
things I do. All of us have struggles. We all have issues and have to
learn to deal with difficulties but do we define ourselves by our
struggles or do we define ourselves by the love Christ has shared
with us and asks us to share with others?
Over the last few years I have
struggled with cancer; several rounds of chemotherapy, a bone marrow
transplant, months in isolation, rejection issues with the new immune
system, and drugs too numerous to mention. Throughout this whole
ordeal God has provided me a super network of support, many prayers,
and lots and lots of love, through friends and family. People I don't even
know have helped out. People have stormed heaven with prayers for me.
And what have I done? Over time I have developed an attitude of
survival. A feeling that each day was going to be a struggle and an attitude that I
would have to endure through it and do whatever was necessary to
survive each and every day. In the process I have hardened my heart and
focused on myself and my needs. I have lost touch with the world and
isolated myself.
I must admit there were a few days in
there where I felt good and thought that things were progressing
well. But for the most part life became a drudgery. I went through
the motions of daily life but I had forgotten how to live. I put
blinders on and saw things from a skewed perspective. I had really
forgotten how wonderful life was and how much joy there was to be had
on earth. I thought about myself and my difficulties. At times I even
wondered why I was still living. Others I knew had passed away from
the same cancer and treatments that I received. I often asked God
why. Why am I still here on Earth? What do you want from me? Why did
this other person die but I lived?
One of the reasons I started writing
this blog was to share my story and to share Jesus with others. I
felt called by God to tell people and encourage them to grow in their
own journey with Christ. I figured most people just went through the
motions of life and didn't realize that things could change so very
quickly. One day I was a working man with a family to support and
feed and I was running my own business. The next moment I was laying
in a hospital bed, receiving the strongest chemo drugs they could
lethal give to me and wondering if I would live to see another day.
Things can change so quickly. I figured that if I could help others to grow in their own faith life maybe it would help me feel better about my own life and where I was at on my journey.
While I was encouraging others to pray
and grow closer to God through my blog, I was drifting in the wind in
my own faith life. My journey was dark and I often felt alone.
In reality I was never alone, but as I said earlier I had blinders on
and could not see the whole picture. I was too focused on myself
and my difficulties.
Through different events in the last
few weeks I feel that God has woken me up. No longer is this just
another blog post I'm writing, this is my story, this is my journey. Writing
this blog has become therapy. As I write this I am on my own journey
and I am searching for answers in my life as well. I am the person
benefiting most from this process of trying to help others. I started
this blog as a service to you but now I realize that God is leading me on a
special journey through this blog. I am most appreciative to all
of you for your encouragement in this journey. Your responses and
prayers have helped lead me onward on my journey even when the
writing was difficult. I thought I was writing this for you but it's
really for me. Thank You for listening and following me on my
journey!
Let's get back to Holy week.
On Palm Sunday Pope Francis sent out
this tweet:
“How beautiful it is
to stand before the crucifix,
simply to be under the
Lord's gaze, so full of love.”
Last week I spent
a day with family at the Shrine of Christ's Passion in St. John,
Indiana. We had a group of 3 adults and 5 children with us.
We paused at each station and reflected on the images. We spent about
2 hours in contemplation and prayer with the life size images of
Jesus on the road to Calvary. When we arrived at the station where
Jesus hung on the cross we all paused in silence and spent about 10
minutes in personal reflection just looking at Jesus. It was a very
special moment for me and I think for all of us.
Something
else quite wonderful happened to us while we were at the shrine. At
each station I asked people to mention someone in their life that
needed prayers. Someone that we could spiritually bring with us on
our journey with Christ that day. We were somewhere in the middle of
the journey and my wife took a turn and mentioned that we should
bring my cousin Paul Scull and his family with us on our journey. If
you haven't heard or seen my facebook posts; my cousin Paul had been
missing for 2 ½ weeks. He had left his home and no one new where he
was. Search teams were called in and were searching for about a week
and no trace had been found. The
search was now more limited and only a few people remained to look
for him.
Within about 30 seconds of us leaving this station my cell
phone rang. There are signs at the shrine not to be on the phone and
to respect the other visitors so I didn't answer. It rang again 2
more times over the next 10 minutes. It was then I decided I should check my phone and see who was calling. I took a small walk off the
prayer trail and into a parking lot where I could check on my phone.
The first call was from my mom and the others were from work. I
called my mom back first.
My
cousin Paul had been found. He was dead. He was found in a field just
on the outskirts of town. God spoke to me in that moment. This day at
the shrine is not for you it is for him.We needed to be at the shrine to
pray for him. He could have been found on any day, but it just
happened to be on this day and I just happened to get the phone call
right after we prayed for him. I don't believe in coincidences, God
always has a plan.
In the
days since I have reflected on this moment. God is calling out to me
to unite my own sufferings to those of Christ and to offer them up for
others. It's not just about me. The sufferings and difficulties I
face can be offered up for others in prayer. I think I kind of knew this all along but I never really understood it and never put it into practice. I don't just suffer all
by myself. I can offer up my prayers and my difficulties
for others. Maybe I am alive so I can help others. Pow! Another 2x4
to the head. God says to me “wake up you sleepy head, you've got
things to do for me.”
Let's go
back to what Pope Francis had to say about the crucifix. To “be
under the Lord's gaze, so full of love.” In simple terms the cross
can be an empty symbol by itself. We must always remember that it is
Christ who hung upon this cruel means of torture. Without Christ the
cross is just a couple pieces of wood but with Christ it is the means
of our salvation. It is the ultimate sign of God's love for all
humanity. He actually hung on the cross for people he knew would not
accept him and his love. Think of the unrepentant thief and how he
was still defiant even while hanging on the a cross. And Jesus gave his life for him and just as
well as the other thief who repented and asked Jesus for mercy.
Be sure
this week to spend some time with a crucifix. Not just a cross but a
crucifix. God became man to die for us. This is his God in his glory. This is
the greatest moment in the history of the world. Get a crucifix or at the very least a picture of one. Hold it. Touch it. Gaze upon it. Question it. Ponder
it. Kiss it. Ask God about it. Just sit with it. Look at Jesus in his glory. Look at his pierced hands and feet. Contemplate his love for you. Then let Jesus look back at you. Let him gaze into your eyes. Allow him to see into your heart
and your life. Open up yourself and allow Jesus in all his glory into
your life.
Greater love has no man
than this, that a man lay down his life
for his friends. You
are my friends if you do what I command you.
You did not choose me,
but I chose you and appointed you that you
should go and bear
fruit...This I command you, to love one another.
John 15: 13-14,16a,17
At
church on Sunday we celebrated Palm Sunday. Jesus's triumphant entry
into Jerusalem. While everyone was celebrating Jesus's entry into the
holy city no one could possibly imagine all the things that would
happen there in just a few days. Jesus knew that he was entering into
his passion. He had told the apostles in advance what would happen.
But they followed him blindly not understanding the depth of love
that Jesus was about to show them.
How
could they be expected to understand. They, like us, were just humans. They followed this man that claimed he was God. There were even times that they really believed that he was God. They had seen many healings and miracles. They had just witnessed
the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. He had raised a
man who was dead 4 days. He was now entering into the city of
Jerusalem to great shouts of joy and triumph. Was it the time for the
messiah to show himself to the world?
We have
a special benefit in pondering these Holy week mysteries; we know how
the story turns out. We know about the resurrection. But in your
reflections this week try to imagine being alive in Jesus's time before the resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Imagine living these stories out in real time. Imagine actually being
there in Jerusalem. Again I turn to something Pope Francis recently said:
(this comes from his homily on Palm Sunday, I have edited it for
brevity, the full text can be found at this link)
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140413_omelia-palme.html
)
Who
am I? Who am I, before my Lord? Who am I, before Jesus who enters
Jerusalem amid the enthusiasm of the crowd? Am I ready to express my
joy, to praise him? Or do I stand back? Who am I, before the
suffering Jesus?
We
have also heard another name: Judas. Thirty pieces of silver. Am I
like Judas? We have heard other names too: the disciples who
understand nothing, who fell asleep while the Lord was suffering. Has
my life fallen asleep? Or am I like the disciples, who did not
realize what it was to betray Jesus? Or like that other disciple, who
wanted to settle everything with a sword?
Am
I like Pilate? When I see that the situation is difficult, do I wash
my hands and dodge my responsibility, allowing people to be condemned
– or condemning them myself?
Am
I like that crowd which was not sure whether they were at a religious
meeting, a trial or a circus, and then chose Barabbas? For them it
was all the same: it was more entertaining to humiliate Jesus.
Am
I like the Cyrenean, who was returning from work, weary, yet was good
enough to help the Lord carry his cross?
Am
I like those who walked by the cross and mocked Jesus: “He was so
courageous! Let him come down from the cross and then we will believe
in him!”. Mocking Jesus….
Am
I like those fearless women, and like the mother of Jesus, who were
there, and who suffered in silence?
Am
I like Joseph, the hidden disciple, who lovingly carries the body of
Jesus to give it burial?
Where
is my heart? Which of these persons am I like? May this question
remain with us throughout the entire week.
Are you
going to walk through this week with blinders on?
Are you
going to go through the motions or are you going to live the passion
with our Lord?
Open
your eyes and your heart. Love is surrounding you. Take the time this
week to experience God's love for you in a special way. Will you be a
disciple who tries to walk with Jesus, you may even fail in the moment of
trial only to rise again with him after the resurrection and carry on
his mission? Will you just be a passerby who is curious and watches
the events but is not open to a change of heart and purpose? Will
this Easter be about life and death or about bunnies and jelly beans?
God has
and does continue to show us his love. Are you open to see him working in your life? How has the love of God
changed your life and does it continue to challenge you each day?
We still
have a few days of lent left to help us prepare for our Easter
celebrations. Let us look at a few more ways we can practice prayer,
fasting, and alms giving. Let us proceed with joy in our hearts and
finish off our Lenten journey with a fantastic finish. Let us pick
up our crosses and carry them with love. Let us imitate Jesus.
Fasting
This
week we have a great opportunity to intensify our fasting and/or try
again if we have failed. Remember we are seeking spiritual progress
not spiritual perfection. It may have been a very difficult 35 day
journey to get here and maybe, like me, you have not completed your
fast as you hoped. There is still time and only a few more days to
go. You can finish strong. Choose something that will bear fruit in
your life and do it.
Here are a few suggestions for your fast this week:
Fast from all entertainment that is not of a religious tone. Do it
for a day or try for the whole week. Maybe if you turn off the TV you
will have time to go to a special holy week service/mass.
Fast from the radio/cds in your car. Spend the commute in prayer or
in silence. It's just for a day or two.
Fast from your daily coffee, sweet, or snack. Give it up for the
week. Just think how wonderful it will be at Easter when you have it
again.
Try a bread and water fast for Good Friday. In my healthier days
before cancer I would try bread and water fasts on Fridays until 3
pm. Then I would pray something special and remember Christ's
passion. I couldn't wait for supper but it was a great way to recall
and remember Jesus's great gift of love. Soon I hope to be well
enough that I can try again.
Fast from complaining. This may be the most difficult of all of my
suggestions. During some of my more difficult days I had lost my
ability to taste food. Everything was difficult to eat and swallow.
Having dinner was a painful experience. After awhile my wife made me
aware of my complaining and general attitude at mealtime. It was
becoming a problem because my daughter had heard me complain and fuss
enough that she thought it was just what you did at dinner. She was
complaining at every meal. Can you imagine the frustration of my
loving wife when all she received for her tireless efforts to try and
feed us nutritious and tasty food was complaints? I'm so glad she
didn't just walk out on us, she is a very special woman indeed!
Fast from facebook or the internet. I know people who are regular
Facebook users who chose to fast from it for the whole of lent.
Fast from work when you are not at work. This may be hard for some
people but turn off that smartphone and really spend an evening or
two with your family.
Be sure to fill your time with extra prayer and/or silence. Bring
more power to your fast by attending daily mass or some special
service this week. Let your fast bring you closer to Jesus and his
passion.
Prayer
Way back in one of my first blogs I made the suggestion that we try
and read a gospel from start to finish. This would be a great time to
fulfill that idea. If you have never done this before I suggest you
start with Mark. Not only is it the shortest of all the gospels it is
probably the easiest to read. I'm a slow reader and I finished the
whole gospel in about 4 hours. Reading the gospel straight through is
a great way to get the whole picture of Jesus's life. You get a
complete picture of birth, life, and death. Of a journey not just of
Jesus but of many other people as well. Real people come to life.
Peter is one of my favorites, but there are so many more. Spend an
hour or two and start reading, I really think you will be surprised
at the results.
If you are afraid you don't have the time for the whole gospel at
least read the passion narratives. Most are only 1 or 2 chapters
long. Take the time to follow any footnotes that stick out to you.
Pause to reflect on passages you don't understand. Take time to
notice the differences in each of the 4 accounts and the
similarities. If you have time, do a little research and dig deeper
into the scriptures.
Another thing to do this week is to watch a video of the passion.
Please make this a prayerful experience. I suggest a prayer before
you begin and a time for reflection or discussion afterward. My
favorite depiction is the movie “Jesus of Nazareth” but there are
many others out there including the popular movie by Mel Gibson “The
Passion of Christ”. Do you have small children? Try a veggie tales
video, my daughter loves these. Be sure to watch with your children
and be sure to discuss the video afterward. Remember this isn't just
entertainment time it's prayer time too.
The last suggestion I have for prayer this week is to set aside some
time for silent reflection. You may want to start with a brief prayer
or a passage from scriptures but make sure the majority of your time
is spent in silence. Listen to your heart and listen for God to speak
to you. Let the silence permeate your being and give it enough time
to settle into you. In a world that is constantly making noise,
silence can be a welcome retreat but can also be a scary idea. I
personally fled from any silence for years. It was only on a retreat
that I experienced how joyful and wonderful a period of complete
silence could be. No longer does it scare me but it calls to me to
come back to it when I need peace and comfort. If you have some of
these same thoughts about silence I encourage you to just give it a
try, if even for just an hour. What have you got to lose?
Alms Giving
It is never too late to reach out and help someone in need. On
Saturday night I received a very special gift from several special
people. They took an hour or two out of there Saturday evening to
share God's love with me. They gave me a gift I will never forget.
They did something quite simple but they did it with great love. This was
the last of several smacks God gave me to wake me out of my self
induced pity party. Thank you to all the men who paid me a visit on
Saturday night.
You have the love of God within you. Are you going to keep it for
yourself or are you going to share it with others?
That is what alms giving is all about, sharing yourself with others.
Here are a few suggestions and concrete ways to reach out to others.
Invite your neighbor to church with you on Easter Sunday or any other
services you will attend this week. The majority of Americans are
Christians but how many will actually attend church this week. Maybe
they are just waiting for you to ask them.
After Easter dinner send home your guests with your leftover food.
Give it away. Or better yet bring it to someone who is elderly or
home bound and is not able to go out for Easter.
Send that check you have been meaning to send out. I still haven't sent mine yet. I've been going to but just haven't gotten it done yet. Write it and mail
it to your charity of choice. I would especially look to donate money
this week to missionaries or others who work directly with the poor
and hungry. You could also give to a local homeless shelter or food
bank. If you live in the Dekalb area you could attend dinner at feed
'em soup and give a donation. They have experienced a very poor
winter fund raising season and are having difficulty continuing their
ministry of offering free meals each week. They have lots of
volunteers willing to help but not near enough money to stay open.
Here is a link to their website: http://www.feedemsoup.org/
If you fast on Good Friday add up the cost of the food you didn't eat
and donate that money to a local charity or church.
Donate a little extra time to your church this week. Ask the pastor
if they need any help cleaning the sanctuary or preparing for the
Holy Week services. This is a very busy week at most churches. I'm
sure your help and service would be greatly appreciated.
While fasting and prayer are mostly about ourselves and our
relationship with God, alms giving gives us a special chance to reach
out to others and share God's love and mercy.
Another way to even go deeper in your Lenten service might be to find a way to work all
three of these practices together into one act. Here is one idea but
feel free to come up with your own. Got something good, please share it by posting a comment to this site.
The whole family could fast from TV for one night. First things
first, everyone should turn off their phones/ipods/radios. Start your
meal with a simple prayer and explain that after dinner the whole
family will take an extra plate of food to someone else (perhaps a
priest/minister or maybe an elderly friend). On the way to the other
persons house the family should recite a common prayer everyone knows
or each person could mention something they are thankful for and
someone who has a special need. Then spend real time with your guest
and be sure to pray with them. You have now worked all 3 practices of
lent into one evening. Give it a try you might just change someones
life. Maybe even your own.
Closing
I recently received a prayer card with a Lenten Morning Offering on
it. I was so touched by this prayer and by the giver. I wish to share
this simple prayer with you. It is a powerful way to start your day
and I have found myself pausing throughout the day to reflect on
individual parts of it. I also have looked at it when I get ready for
bed to reflect back on my day. I hope you enjoy it and use it for
yourself as well. It is a prayer of great love and service.
God Bless! Have a wonderfully blessed Holy Week!
Lord
Jesus,
You
lived and died for me.
Help
me to keep that thought before me today so that whatever life
brings,
whether it be success or failure, satisfaction or disappointment,
happiness
or sorrow, I may offer it to you.
Through
me, may everyone I meet this day see you, Lord,
feel
your presence and experience your love.
Lord,
I offer you today.
May
I serve you by serving others in your name making all that I do a
gift
of love and thanksgiving for all you have done for me.
Amen
