In just a few short weeks my youngest child, Elizabeth, will graduate from LSU. As her daddy, it will be a very proud moment. For her, and for her mom and me, it will mark a big transition. A new chapter in her life is about to be written and new adventures and opportunities await.
Our lives are always about transitions; new adventures and opportunities come along often. Many of us here today may be facing graduations in our families; high school, college, perhaps kindergarten. We transition when new career opportunities arise, some of which may be coupled with transitioning to a new community. The arrival of a newborn is a transition as is when we let our children go when they begin their new life as a newlywed or begin their careers. Transition; it happens all the time.
In our Lenten journey, we have reached a point of transition. Today we begin Holy Week and soon we reach the Triduum; from the evening of Holy Thursday then Good Friday and Saturday, which begins in quiet and darkness then transitions with the Easter Vigil, a celebration of light and great joy. Transitions!
As people of faith, are we ready to transition?
In just a brief expanse of time we hear today the Gospel at the beginning of Mass where Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem like a conquering hero. Hosanna, they all proclaim, as the people are almost in a fever pitch as Jesus rides into town atop a donkey. But then we transition to the Gospel that we refer to as The Passion. From Sunday to Thursday night, my how things have changed. It is as if Jesus is now public enemy number one. After celebrating the Passover, and in the process giving us the Eucharist, the Priesthood and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, he goes to Gethsemane to pray. Before long he is arrested, accused, convicted and condemned. The people affirm His fate and ask to release Barabbas instead of Him. His sentence is the death penalty, by crucifixion, and He is made to carry the instrument of His death to the place of His death, the place called the Skull. He is helped by Simon, at first unwilling but who helped Him nonetheless.
As He suffers on the cross, He does so without the love and support of his friends, the Apostles and disciples; although we know Mary is there, with John and the other woman. He cries out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me. He dies. And blood and water flow from His pierced side. He is buried in a non descript tomb, thanks to the offer of Joseph of Arimathea.
What a transition we have just shared; have just experienced. We are given the opportunity to participate in this Gospel. With our own words we proclaim Crucify Him. How do we feel when we say that? Do we consider our role, our own sinfulness when we participate in this Gospel proclamation? Just like we are transitioning from these prior days of Lent to Holy Week we too should transition in how we respond with our own lives to the message of the Passion.
What should we do in these days ahead, leading to the Triduum and Easter? Saint Gregory Nazianzen suggested the following:
We must imitate His passion; we must be ready to be crucified. If you are a Simon of Cyrene then take up your cross and follow Christ. If you are crucified beside Him like the good thief, acknowledge your God and cease sinning so you too may enter paradise. If you are a Joseph of Arimathea go and ask for Christ’s body. If you are one of the Mary’s or Salome or Joanna be the first to see the stone rolled back and see the angels and perhaps even see Jesus Himself!
As the Saint here is asking us to place ourselves in the Passion, can we challenge ourselves this week to do so? One thing I plan to do is to pray the psalm that Jesus prayed from the cross. We all know the first few words of the Psalm but little else about the Psalm. My God, my God why have you abandoned me? On first blush this seems simply the words of an anguished Christ despairing in death. No! Jesus is praying the 22nd Psalm. It is a Psalm of King David and is known as the prayer of an innocent person. The Gospel gives us the first few lines of this prayer, not the entire prayer. Scripture scholars believe Jesus was praying faithfully this 22nd Psalm which continues in the acknowledgement of a great and merciful God. The prayer offers praise to God. Despite the seemingly desperate condition of the psalmist, the prayer transitions to total faith and dependence in God. Jesus was not despairing in God the Father, even as he hung there dying, but was acknowledging Him as Father and praising Him even in death. So my challenge for us in these next few days: faithfully pray the 22nd Psalm.
The liturgies in the week ahead are some of the most beautiful and rich and spiritually edifying. Can we commit, no matter how difficult, to be present with our faith community this Thursday night, for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper at 7 p.m. Can we commit, no matter how difficult, to be at the Passion of the Lord this Good Friday at 3 p.m. And finally, how long since we have celebrated Easter by being at the glorious celebration of the Easter Vigil, Saturday night at 8 p.m.? A strong commitment to these celebrations will help mark a profound transition in our spiritual lives and help us enter into a deeper more personal relationship with God and His Church.
It’s all about transitions; from Lent to Easter; from darkness to light; from despair to hope; from sorrow to great joy! Embrace the transition!
No comments:
Post a Comment