The Week that Changed the World

Holy Week is upon us.  When I was a kid, I knew Holy Week to be the important week where we had to go to church three or four days in a row.  As Catholics we are not just asked to go to church multiple days, we are called to fully participate in the liturgies and reflect on the events leading to Jesus’ death and resurrection.  So much happened in such a short amount of time.  Everything that happened from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday changed the world.  Has it changed your world?  Do we let the passion, death and resurrection of Christ change and transform our lives?

To sum it up and put it simply, Holy Week is about love.  There is absolutely nothing Jesus went through during this time that was not because of His immense love for us.  From His agony in the garden, to his scourging, and everything in between, it was all for you and for me.  How could we look at the cross and not know the depths of his love?  How could we see the nails in his hands and feet, the wounds in his side, and the crown of thorns on his head and not choose to love him in return.  How could we look at the crucified Christ, arms stretched wide open, love poured out and say, “It’s not enough.”  Putting it into words, it sounds crazy.  Yet, how many times have we said this with our thoughts and actions?  How many times have we said, “Jesus, what you did for me isn’t enough”?

We so often search the world, grasping for different things that the world says will satisfy us.  Maybe it’s success, more money, a bigger house, and the list goes on.  We tell ourselves that it is when we get certain things that we will have enough.  In our desire for empty things, it might be easy for us to think that Jesus’ love is nice, but it’s just not enough.  We need something else.  In these moments, look back to the cross.

​During this Holy Week, let Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection transform you.  Reflect on the significance of everything that happened and the impact it has on your daily life.  Walk with Jesus through his journey to the cross.  Keep watch with Him.   Let this week be a reminder of how to pray more deeply, follow the will of the Father more closely, and ultimately, how to love more intensely.  When we experience the love Christ offered to us on the cross, we will be able to share the joy and hope that comes from His resurrection.