March 30, 2010
Tuesday of Holy Week
By Beth DeCristofaro
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 49:5-6)
Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. (John 13:31)
Piety
…you are my hope, O Lord; my trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength. My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation. O God, you have taught me from my youth, and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds. (Psalm 71:15, 17)
Study
As a kid, I always started Holy Week with mixed feelings. Lent was almost over so I could have candy on Sunday and at last the dark, spooky coverings over the statues and paintings in church were coming off. And there were three days off from school to enjoy: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday. All great things. But the readings of the liturgies filled me with sadness and dread. I often did not read aloud, along with the rest of the congregation, the lines “Crucify him!” and “Give us Barabbas!” When Jesus told Judas to go about his dark business, and told Peter that Peter would betray him, I would say, “Not me, Jesus, I would stick up for you”. “I wouldn’t fall asleep in the garden, Jesus”.
Well, another Lent is ending and I am still uneasy as we read the hate and violence of Jesus’ passion. I also recognize that I have many times in my life fallen asleep, been disloyal, deceitful and have sold out. However, what I have come to fervently believe and what brings joy into the sorrow is that Jesus reached out for me during his anguish on the cross and loves me in spite of my shortcomings. That in my life, I have experienced moments of the via dolorosa and Jesus has accompanied me. That it is me Jesus wants to know not some perfected version of myself which is an impossible ideal.
This Holy Week I feel expectant and in awe of the immense meaning of my life because God loved me enough to live and die for me. I treasure the opportunity of Holy Week to get to know Him even better. I sing with the psalmist, "My mouth shall be filled with your praise, shall sing your glory every day." (Psalm 71:8)
Action
As we head into Holy Week, take some time to consider the awesome opportunity for prayer. The Creighton University website describes the Stations of the Cross as “a powerful way to contemplate, and enter into, the mystery of Jesus' gift of himself to us.” “(The Stations) is in the context of my relationship with God. I could read through the text of each of the stations, and look at the pictures, but that wouldn't necessarily be prayer. This is an invitation to enter into a gifted faith experience of who Jesus is for me. It becomes prayer when I open my heart to be touched, and it leads me to express my response in prayer.” Take the opportunity to spend time with the Way of the Cross – there are many examples and focuses. Several of these sites also have podcast versions:
The Stations with Mary
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/stations-with-Mary.html
Scriptural Stations
http://www.usccb.org/nab/stations.shtml
Migrants Stations (in Spanish and English)
http://www.usccb.org/lent/migrants_way.pdf
The Kenyan Way of the Cross
http://sacredspace.ie/en/preparing-for-the-way-of-the-cross/
Traditional Stations
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/s-1.html
