The next 3 days are the most important in our Church calendar. The Holy Thursday tomorrow, Good Friday the day after followed by Easter. These days signify important virtues that were portrayed by Jesus in the most impressive way by his Passion.
The
washing of the feet of his apostles on Holy Thursday was an act of extreme humility
that Jesus wants us to emulate in our own lives. “If I, then, the Lord
and Master, have washed your feet, you must wash each other's feet”(John13:14). How willing are we to wash the feet of
others, especially those under our care and less fortunate than us?
On Good
Friday we commemorate the Passion of Christ that led to his most brutal crucifixion.
In His agonizing Passion and death on the cross he demonstrated his forgiveness
towards even those who insulted and persecuted him in the cruelest form.
Instead of retaliating with anger and vengeance he reacted with love and
forgiveness. As he hung on the cross dying he still could say, “Father, forgive them; they do not know
what they are doing”(Luke 23:34).This is something no ordinary man can and
will do.
Jesus accepted the persecution and humiliation
of his Passion willingly without anger and hatred for those who inflicted pain
and insult on him.
None of
us may be able to do what Jesus did but the least we can do is to reflect on
ourselves to see how we compare to him. How do
we react towards those who hurt us, insult us and even plot our downfall? How
do we react towards those who betray us, punish us unjustly and
rob us of our possessions, peace and happiness? Do we harbor hatred and anger against
those who have hurt us? Are we willing to forgive those who have hurt us? Are
we willing to go out of the way to seek forgiveness from those we have hurt?
Today
one of the main sickness in our society is apathy that was illustrated by
Pontius Pilate in dealing with Jesus death. We may be too busy with our work
and struggling to make ends meet. We may be too busy to earn to support our
family as the cost of living has escalated to levels beyond our reach. In this
process we tend to forget those less fortunate than us. We become devoid of
feelings for others who may be in pain and agony. They may not need money but
just our time, our smile and some comforting words which we find hard to give.
Then
there are those who are treated unjustly in our midst, our colleagues and
subordinates. They are overworked, underpaid and rights denied and even abused.
We may be in a position to do or at least say something in their support but we
are too afraid and remain silent.
The Holy
Week is a time to reflect on our attitude towards others. It is a time to think
of others who are less fortunate than us, to feel for them and do something
within our means to support them in whatever way we can.
The Holy Week culminates in the resurrection of Jesus that
symbolizes his victory over death and sin, His resurrection gives us hope
that if we continue to do his will and suffer as a result we too will one day
come out victorious over our own sins and death.
Have a Holy and Blessed Holy Week and a joyous Easter
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