Holy Week questions

The Liturgical Year of the Church is meant to take us on an annual pilgrimage. We begin with Advent, celebrate the Incarnation at Christmas, remember the gifts of the Magi to the Holy Family, reflect upon the implications of Christ's (and our own) baptism, participate in Lenten disciplines in preparation for Holy Week, sing for joy at the news of the Resurrection of Jesus our Lord, renew our lives with the knowledge that the Holy Spirit has been given to us, and strive to live faithfully during the "ordinary times" of our lives, culminating with our acknowledgement that Jesus is the Ruler of all. It is an annual cycle, and I've found that observing this cycle has brought a sense of balance to my spiritual life over the years.

Each year, of course, this journey intensifies during the week of events that we long have called "holy." Holy Week begins this Sunday. We traditionally have called this Palm Sunday, remembering Jesus' entry into Jerusalem for the final time. Some churches call this Passion Sunday, mainly, I think, to remind folks who don't or can't attend special services during Holy Week that you can't just skip from the pomp of Palm Sunday to the joy of Easter; the story of the Passion must be a part of our journey - one way or another - during this week.

Holy Week reminds me of questions I need to ask myself...

• Where have I seen the suffering of Christ in the lives of others?
• How do I respond to instances of suffering? Do I pass people by? Do I stop and offer to help carry their cross? Do I weep with others, sharing their pain? Do I judge? Do I ridicule?
• In what ways do I participate in "crucifying" Christ by things I say and do?
• What do I fear about my own suffering?
• How do I approach my own death?
• What do I believe about hope and resurrection?

I find that attending to spiritual disciplines each day, especially during Holy Week, is vitally important to my approach to Easter morning. In fact, I think that how seriously I reflect upon the Passion of Jesus is directly proportionate to how much joy I experience on Easter.

What are your experiences of Holy Week? I invite you to dive into this intense spiritual pilgrimage with your whole being. I don't believe you'll regret it one bit.

Heaven, Hell, Questions

I remember years and years ago engaging in those kinds of debates that have been going on for as long as the Church has been around:

·      Will everyone go to heaven?

·      Is there really a hell?

·      Will people who don't believe in Jesus get to heaven?

·      If God is love, how could anyone be sent to hell?

You know the debates?  I thought you might.  And I think those kinds of questions are important ones to think through, to wrestle with, to consider, to discuss with others.  When we do that, we focus and clarify our own beliefs about God, about love, about grace, about forgiveness, about eternity.  That's important - even vital - to do.

However, of course, we never will fully answer those questions.  Why?  Well, they are questions about eternity, and we're still on this side of the proverbial "veil." And also, we're not God!  It is God who is both Judge and Redeemer, Creator and Savior, Comforter and Lord.  And I'm normally content to leave all such questions to the competent and gracious care of the Almighty!

So no, I don't know definitively about all the implications of what it means to say, for example, that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).  But what I do know is that Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life for me... and I have my hands full trying to be the person God created me to be, the person whom Jesus loved and for whom Jesus died and rose, the person whom the Spirit called at my baptism and strengthens me each day.  I can't bother spending my time worrying about everyone else's journey through life; I can only be faithful myself, and reach out in love, witness, compassion, and service to others about how Christ has affected my life.

I love how W.H. Auden wrote about this in his Collected Poems (ed. by Edward Mendelson, Random House, 1976):

"He is the Way.

Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness,

You will see rare beasts and have unique adventures.

He is the Truth.

Seek Him in the Kingdom of Anxiety;

You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.

He is the Life!

Love Him in the World of the Flesh;

And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy."

What I know is that Jesus Christ is Lord of the world.  What I know is that Jesus Christ is my Lord, too.  And what I know is that Jesus Christ still lives, which our journey through these continuing weeks of Easter reminds us.  So I still sing for joy at the Easter acclamation:  Christ is Risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!