“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.”
What a welcome! These are
the words of Jewish people when Jesus was entering Jerusalem on Palm
Sunday. They are words of hope and
excitement. Hope for their future. Hope for their nation. Unfortunately, within a week these people will
do the exact opposite and scream...”Crucify him, crucify him.” Cries of desperation and fear.
How many times do we experience the same thing? Every Palm Sunday I get a sense of reality
when I’m at Mass. Some years it is hard
to explain, or I try to ignore the feeling.
But, this year I feel like I got to experience it in a different way.
The biggest change is that I was able to reflect on the reality
of how I have welcomed Christ in my life in the past. I have been blessed that I felt the need to
do this blog during Lent. Again, I don’t
know if anyone even read them…but it required that I spend time each day
meditating on Scripture. Even the few
times I couldn’t get something written, I read the passages and thought about
how they can change who I am. The
biggest thing that happened is that each day I was given the opportunity to
ignore the negative feelings I had about my lot in life. I was given an opportunity to look at the
gifts and dignity that I can bring to the world. I was given a chance each day to grow in hope
and joy.
When I went to Mass yesterday (thanks to snowpocalypse #3 it was
the safest time for me), I was given a small glimpse of past times that I had
to be at home recovering. I struggled
with myself, others, and especially God.
I didn’t want to hear that he had a plan for me because it didn’t seem
like I really liked his plan. I was able
to see the desperation that I have had in the past. Also, I got a sense of my faith before and
after each time I got hurt. I have a
great desire to help people. And,
although sometimes I feel like I don’t suffer very well…I do believe that my
faith and hope in God allows me to suffer a little easier than people without a
relationship with Christ. And, when I
witness someone who seems to be struggling a lot, I have spent many times in
prayer asking that I take on that person’s pain if it be God’s will.
Yesterday during Mass, and this morning in reflecting, I started
to see that I was similar to these people.
I have this great sense of hope and joy about helping God alleviate a
person’s suffering…but when I’m in the moment of suffering, I have a hard time
believing my life can be good for anything.
I think some of the reason I was able to have this experience is to give
me a sense of how much growth I have made…and that it happened through the
grace of God and through taking time each day with his words and love.
I am so grateful that God encouraged this challenge this
Lent. I have been given a greater sense
of welcoming Christ into my heart. I
have had the strength the overcome most times of struggle and frustration. I have been able to let go of a lot of worry
and believe that God will continue to make my life beautiful…and that the
discipline I have received will help me now and in the future as well as help other
people who are suffering. I think this
Lent I have been given a new beginning and peace in my soul.
Getting to welcome Christ at Mass and then recalling his passion
and death, the reason for his entry into Jerusalem became more real. Just as his entry leads to his death…and
resurrection, Jesus wants us to welcome him (with each breath) into our lives
so that his cross and resurrection will overpower us and cause our crosses to
become life saving. I hope to always
remember this growth and strength that Christ has given me to continue on living
his will.
I don’t know if you have had
a similar experience. But, I think today
is a great day to reflect on how we welcome Christ in our lives. It is important that we understand how we
have been changed and believe in the power of God’s grace. This week we are going to experience the rise
and fall of the hope of the Jewish people.
We will get to experience the greatest love story ever…a love for each
of us. We will get to experience the
greatest event…the gift of eternal life!
If we have not taken time
this Lent to seek the forgiveness of God, to be like the repentant thief being
crucified with Christ, we must challenge ourselves to do so. Finding forgiveness allows us to live in
peace. This is a great week to focus
inward. Meditation and the Sacraments
will give us insight to the story of love God is speaking in our hearts. He will give us the grace to step into our
struggles and moments of discipline with boldness. When we allow him in also, we will see more
clearly how we can take up our crosses with hope and joy!
Welcome Christ into your life
and keep watch with him!
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