THE GREAT EASTER VIGIL IS ON!
Today is Holy Saturday when we begin the great Easter Vigil. Jesus was laid in the tomb, but we know that even a sealed tomb could not hold him. Therefore, we keep watch for the resurrection of Christ. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!
Today is Good Friday? Many would question this day and would wonder what was so good about this day. But it was good, in that Christ, gave his life for us. With a thief on his left and right and encircled by a crowd of onlookers, Jesus gently and willingly stretches out his hands and accepts the torture of the nails. In the midst of this most intense agony, his heart remains on his people. “Father, forgive them, he prays, for they know not what they do.”
Jesus did not immediately die when they nail him to the cross. He suffered for three long agonizing hours first. The giver of life, who stood side by side with the Father at the moment of creation, was now dead. His mission on earth was nearly accomplished. He gave up his spirit, and gave us his life! When the crowds finally went away, a few of Jesus’s followers were brave enough to ask for his body so they could bury it. Two men carefully remove the body of Jesus from the cross and lay it in the arms of his waiting mother. Tears run down Mary’s cheeks as she holds the son given to her so many years before. Mary and the friends of Jesus prepare his body for burial and lay it in a tomb cut from solid rock and seal it. They have forgotten or perhaps failed to believe, the promise Jesus made to them, that he will rise from the dead.
Today is Holy Thursday. Jesus can now see Golgotha in the distance. He knows the end is near. He is parched and dry, so weak from the loss of blood and the sheer pain, that he can barely stand, much less carry the heavy cross. He falls again for the third time. Still, his executioners mercilessly urge him on.
Jesus finally reaches the top of the hill, the place of his death. His reward for completing this part of the journey is to be savagely and brutally stripped. His open wounds cling to his garments, so the pain is excruciating as the soldiers rip his garments from his body, taking flesh and blood along with the clothes. Imaging the humiliation, how foolish Jesus felt. Has anyone made fun of you for your belief in Jesus Christ? How did you, or how would you respond?
As Jesus walked along the road toward his death, some people laughed, some stood in silence and wondered who he was. Some cheered; but one group of women seeing him hurting, tired, and beaten down, cried. This small act of faith and courage in the face of hardship supported Jesus in his grief, perhaps at a time when he needed it most.
Are we sympathetic to the plight of others? How do we react when we see others been taking advantage of, others beaten and downtrodden? Do we laugh, do we cry, do we cheer, do we stand by in silence? Are we so stiff-necked and hard-hearted, unable to show compassion? There are so many things in this world that makes us sad, that makes us cry, but, is there anything that we can do to help? Let us strive to do little acts of kindness to one another.
One could only imagine how hard Jesus’ journey to Calvary was. He was wracked by pain, but he has been comforted by the care of Simon and Veronica. He continues on his journey, feeling the rhythm of the road beneath his feet. As he falls again, all the pain is renewed. A jolt of agony shoots through his body, but, he rises again, and continues on his way. He is thinking about us. Who else but Jesus, was able to do this for us out of love?
When have you felt like giving up but chose not too? How did God give you strength? I am sure that all of us could remember a time in our life when we were weak, when we felt like we could not go on, but after praying to God and asking for his help found the strength to go on. If you have such a story, share it!
As we continue to reflect on Jesus’ journey to Calvary, may God open our hearts to do more acts of kindness. Blood from the crown of thorns and sweat from the hard work of carrying the cross, mix in Jesus’ face. This is not an easy way to show love. The blood and seat drip from him and sting his eyes. From out of the crowd, steps a woman believed to be named Veronica, who lovingly wipes the face of Jesus. It is a simple but important act of love and compassion for the giver of all love and compassion.
Have you ever ignored someone who was in need, or when have you stopped to help someone in need? Too many times we see people who are in need of help and turn the other way. This is true especially if it’s someone we do not know; but Jesus reminds us in Matthew chapter 25 and verse forty, that, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
As we enter into Holy Week, Heavenly Father, let us continue to mediate on your word and with prayer and reflection remember the cross that Jesus bore for us. Jesus was undoubtedly relieved when he got help to carry his cross on the way to Calvary. Just when Jesus begin to think that he can go no farther; just when the soldiers begin to doubt that Jesus can make the long journey up the hill, they grab a man from the side of the road and force him to carry the cross. That man was said to be Simon, and as he feels the bite of the wood on his shoulder, he certainly must have wondered why he, and innocent man, should be asked to do this.
When have you felt caught in the middle of something like Simon? How did you respond to the situation? I would have felt honored if I knew that I was forced to help Jesus carry his cross. It is no wonder, that, we are reminded in Romans chapter fifteen, that we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak and not to please ourselves. I don’t believe that it was bad luck that caused Simon to be at the right spot when they grabbed him, and I am sure after he learned who Jesus was, he was glad that he was the one who helped him.
Could you imagine this; Jesus, tired, sore, bruised, bloody, and on his way to his own execution, looks up to see the face of his mother along the road. What a moment for both of them! No words are exchanged, but Jesus can see the sadness and pain on his mother’s face. He knows that she was chosen for this road, chosen to bear him into the world, but he still knows her pain.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, when have you see the look of sadness on your parents’ faces, or when have you seen the look of sadness in your children’s faces?
As Jesus stumbled along the hot dusty rocky road to Calvary, he fell under the weight but he was forced to go on. He was crushed under the weight of the wood, and is bruised and beaten down by soldiers. He falls, for even though he is fully God, he is filled with the weaknesses of being fully human. This is the wonder of our God, who became flesh in Jesus. Thank you, Lord!
Many times we are tempted to give up, when the struggle seems too much to bear; so too Jesus felt the pressure, he felt weakness as we sometimes do, but he struggled on. Lord, teach us to bear the crosses we are made to carry with humility.
Jesus was forced to carry his own cross. As he journeyed up the hill to Calvary and the weight of the cross bites into his shoulders, his mind is filled with thoughts of us. He is reminded with each step that the pain he bears will be the cause of our joy. Are we taking this joy for granted?
The crosses we carry are nothing compared to what Jesus had to bear. Jesus calls on us who are strong to bear the scruples of those who are weak, to not judge or condemn them. That is why at times, we do things for love of family and friends, even though sometimes it hurts. And it hurts more when they fail to say thank you. How many of us are thankful to Jesus for the heavy cross he endured for us? How do we show our thankfulness?