Holy Week

It's Holy Week. This is by far the biggest holiday in the Philippines. We are told practically everything closes down on Good Friday and Black Saturday this week. Apparently by Easter Sunday everything is back to normal. Very interesting and contrary to evangelical christian culture that places the entire celebration around Easter Sunday. Without denying the resurrection of Christ, Catholocism here emphasizes the Passion (suffering & death) of Christ. Protestants, sometimes exclusively, emphasize the resurrection. Who's right? May i venture to say we can learn from each other? Meditating on Christ's suffering and death was something we never did growing up. I didn't know what Lent was. I only knew that Good Friday was the day Jesus died on the cross. We weren't taught to think about that too much. Why would we? After all, Jesus isn't dead. He isn't still on the Cross. He's in heaven! He's alive! Yes, this is true and Hallelujah! I love celebrating the new life I have in Christ at Easter each year! But here's a question: How much more would we experience life and joy on Easter Sunday if we devoted a healthy amount of attention on Christ's suffering and death? I find such focus serves to enrich my experience of Resurrection Sunday and therefore my experience of new life in Christ. Over the past few years, Andrey and I have used a book by Henri Nouwen called Show Me The Way to learn about and guide us during the season of Lent. The following is an excerpt from a recent reading:
"Suffering and death belong to the narrow road of Jesus. Jesus does not glorify them, or call them beautiful, good, or something to be desired. Jesus does not call for heroism or suicidal self-sacrifice. No, Jesus invites us to look at the reality of our existence and reveals this harsh reality as the way to new life. The core Message of Jesus is that real joy and peace can never be reached while bypassing suffering and death, but only by going right through them. We could say: We really have no choice. Indeed, who escapes suffering and death? Yet there is still a choice. We can deny the reality of life, or we can face it. When we face it not in despair, but with the eyes of Jesus, we discover that where we least expect it, something is hidden that holds a promise stronger than death itself. Jesus lived his life with the trust that God's love is stronger than death and that death therefore does not have the last word. He invites us to face the painful reality of our existence with the same trust. This is what Lent is all about."