In the gospel for the Palm Sunday there is a marvelous presentation of the mysterious complexity that makes human beings who they are. In Matthew’s account of the life of Christ, his gospel story, prior to the time when Judas is presented thirty pieces of silver, Matthew includes how a Bethany woman used precious oils to anoint Jesus. This was an action that disturbed the disciples since the oil was not inexpensive. Clearly the lady was mindful of what was happening in Jerusalem, how the Sanhedrin officials were making plots to have Jesus killed. She knew he would be treated with great torture and pain. So, using such valuable oil seemed to the disciples to be a careless use of the resources. Nonetheless the woman would not let the cost challenge her generosity.
Then Matthew puts forward the picture of Judas. He was a follower, supposedly a very close follower of Jesus. His heart, however, was a hardened heart so very different from the kindness of the woman who anointed Jesus. Greed and treachery had become on Holy Thursday evening the hallmarks of Judas’ heart.
What the various liturgies and the scripture readings used at the liturgies during Holy Week are presented to us to accomplish in our hearts a better understanding of the mysterious light and darkness that can take over a human being’s heart. As we reflect on the words of the various gospels and consider what Jesus is doing for each one of us, we are opening our hearts to the process of lamenting.
Lamenting: will you lament at all during this week? Some might ask this question: “Well, just was does lamenting mean to me? In rather simple terms lamenting is meant to be the opportunity to move our heart and minds to an understanding of our own human complexity, especially as it related to our sinfulness that brought about the suffering and death of Jesus Christ that we reconsider during during the painful last week of the life of Jesus. Why? We need to embrace the darkness ... the darkness of our own sins that has either separated us from our God or has allowed us to do damage to our sisters and brothers but especially the pain and torture our sins have brought to the Son of God. Beyond embracing the darkness of sin, we have to admit that sin has had its hold on me, on you. And we have to realize that we have been granted the graces to let go of it. We cannot keep within our hearts the burden of guilt that wears us down. We have seek the grace to let go of whatever sins there might have been that keeps me apart from God.
This week we will revisit the reality that Jesus was strong enough, graced enough by his Father to embrace that same darkness ... the darkness that is yours and mine ... and reshape it into generosity. What we can gather from St. Matthew’s gospel is Jesus’ suffering and death were for him the means to change that darkness into light. Greed will become generosity again; death will be renewed life.
Then Matthew puts forward the picture of Judas. He was a follower, supposedly a very close follower of Jesus. His heart, however, was a hardened heart so very different from the kindness of the woman who anointed Jesus. Greed and treachery had become on Holy Thursday evening the hallmarks of Judas’ heart.
What the various liturgies and the scripture readings used at the liturgies during Holy Week are presented to us to accomplish in our hearts a better understanding of the mysterious light and darkness that can take over a human being’s heart. As we reflect on the words of the various gospels and consider what Jesus is doing for each one of us, we are opening our hearts to the process of lamenting.
Lamenting: will you lament at all during this week? Some might ask this question: “Well, just was does lamenting mean to me? In rather simple terms lamenting is meant to be the opportunity to move our heart and minds to an understanding of our own human complexity, especially as it related to our sinfulness that brought about the suffering and death of Jesus Christ that we reconsider during during the painful last week of the life of Jesus. Why? We need to embrace the darkness ... the darkness of our own sins that has either separated us from our God or has allowed us to do damage to our sisters and brothers but especially the pain and torture our sins have brought to the Son of God. Beyond embracing the darkness of sin, we have to admit that sin has had its hold on me, on you. And we have to realize that we have been granted the graces to let go of it. We cannot keep within our hearts the burden of guilt that wears us down. We have seek the grace to let go of whatever sins there might have been that keeps me apart from God.
This week we will revisit the reality that Jesus was strong enough, graced enough by his Father to embrace that same darkness ... the darkness that is yours and mine ... and reshape it into generosity. What we can gather from St. Matthew’s gospel is Jesus’ suffering and death were for him the means to change that darkness into light. Greed will become generosity again; death will be renewed life.
