Welcome to Holy week.
Holy week invites us to journey with Christ; through the Cross and New life.
This is the heart of Christian faith, and the heartbeat of our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. This week, we are called to digest the Word of God and welcome its powerful and eternal message in to our hearts.
Contained in the readings and liturgy of this week is the truest meaning of life, professed and celebrated once at our Baptism and renewed each Easter. We journey through cross and tomb to the promised life beyond our expectations.
In the Scripture we hear of Christ entering Jerusalem with a message of love, inclusion and forgiveness, only to be rejected and despised. Facing such hatred, he willingly gives his life for all in the ultimate sign of the true and unwavering love of God.
It’s a message entrenched in hope. A message that we need to hear now more than ever. We will recall Jesus’ words on the cross, “my God, My God, why have you forsaken me”. Here Christ stands in solidarity with us, experiencing the well known human feelings of uncertainty, confusion, worry, fear of abandonment. Christ stands with us today in these days when many of us are feeling these emotions with greater intensity. Christ doesn’t stop at empathy, he gives us hope.
The last words of Christ were words of forgiveness, love and hope. “Forgive them… you will be with me in paradise”. It reminds us that the love of God is always ultimately the last Word spoken. God has the last say and he will not leave us hanging on our cross.
This week, digest the Word more attentively, more carefully, allow that message of hope, forgiveness and love to seep through your heart, mind and soul so that in a time great fear and uncertainty in the world, we may be a conduit of hope, forgiveness and love to others.
I pray you have a spiritually fruitful Holy Week journey.
God bless
Fr Bernard Lanarolle