Tag: Holy Week
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Total surrender to God and putting our life in Him
Jesus’ last words are very powerful and compelling, I asked myself, why despite his agony, the humiliation he experienced, and unbearable pain on the cross, Jesus never blamed his Father. He instead uttered these words like a perfect prayer from the depths of his heart “Father into your hands, I commend my spirit.” Oftentimes, when we are faced with problems and difficulties, when we are carrying heavy crosses, our human tendency is that we lose track of our faith. We rely much on our human capacities and strengths. We become too focused on our suffering and pain, on what we can do to the extent that our energies are depleted, and we become exhausted. We start to complain, self-pity, regret, become anxious about what the future holds, and perhaps blame others, or even blame God. Jesus has given us a glorious example of total surrendering to God.
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FORGIVENESS: A RADICAL LOVE
We look back to the scene where Jesus uttered these words, Jesus at this hour was on the brink of death, nailed to the Cross with the Roman soldiers at his feet. As he addressed these men, we could picture how exhausting the scene was. By this time, these Roman soldiers had been executing many criminals and had seen death day after day. They are reduced to mere functionaries. They have no choice and freedom to do what is just and right at that moment as they were only following orders. Familiarity with violence and brutality causes these soldiers to be numb and deaf with their emotions. Their society has allowed them to be stripped of their dignity as human persons gifted with freedom and compassion. It is in this human frailty and desperate condition where Jesus uttered to them, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing?”
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The Deafening Silence of Black Saturday
Only the walls of the tomb were able to witness what was happening. If only they could speak, perhaps, their words won’t be enough to describe the wonder of God working on this day and in the following day. Silence, then, is the only language of the walls of the tomb. Moreover, it is also from this silence that God raised Jesus from the dead. For in and from silence, God fulfills His promise of victory over death and the beginning of a new creation. As Black Saturday calls us to dwell deeper on silence. certainly, God has done marvelous things in and through silence. There is nothing to be afraid then, of silence for it is a sign of God’s presence. From here, Jesus introduced to us the God of silence.
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WHAT MAKES GOOD FRIDAY, GOOD?
A great invitation is before us in these trying times and as we celebrate the Holy Week, let us unite our suffering with the suffering of Jesus, allow these to purify us and bring us back closer to God, let us entrust to him our anxieties… rest assured that He understands us. And have faith in the resurrection, have faith that better days will come in God’s perfect time. This is what makes this week holy and this day good, we are celebrating a perfect act of Love by our God who, even in our sinfulness, will never ever abandon us.
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Jesus thirsts
As we remember solemnly today the passion and death of Jesus on that gruesome cross, may we also heed his call for us today. Let Jesus’ words reverberate into our hearts and move us to satiate the thirst of God. As the (Enhanced) Community Quarantine has been imposed for the safety of all, let it be an opportunity for us as Christians to be more sensitive of Jesus’ thirsts. The thirst of Jesus is also present through those brothers and sisters who need special attention and assistance. Let the words of Jesus, I thirst, be heard from a neighbor who seek your help, from a friend who need your comfort because of anxiety, from a family member who is sick, from a colleague who is worried of his/her family at home, from a poor homeless person who is being blamed from not observing “home quarantine.”
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God for 30 pieces of Silver
Imagine, we are more expensive than God. We, mere creatures, are more costly than the Creator. This tells us how much we are being valued by God. That’s why when somebody tells you that you are worthless, believe Jesus, that’s not true. Jesus has paid his life for you. When someone would say that a sinner or a criminal or an offender has no value in our community, believe Jesus, that is fake news. Jesus has to suffer, has to be crucified and to die to tell us that every sinner and every creature on earth is special and expensive. God has to pay it himself.
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Do not let Satan grab us away from the Lord
These are the invitations for us. First, be careful of the attitudes of our heart that conjures Satan most particularly of selfishness that creeps into our soul, most especially our selfishness. Second, we are not the center of everything. It is Jesus. Third, do not succumb to darkness. Do not yield to our habitual sins that may lead us farther from God. Always seek the light. Seek God at all times even if we stumble every now and then.
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To be grateful this Holy Week
God calls us today to be more grateful of the gifts and blessings that we have received each day, no matter how small would that be. But if we have received so much also, be more thankful and be more generous too. Remember, a grateful person is a person who goes forward, because when we are grateful we also become contented of the present, whatever there is. We also become reconciled with the past, whatever that was. And we become hopeful and positive of the future, whatever there will be.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 