“It is you who stood by me in my time of trial.” I think that’s the invitation that we have for this Holy Week, just to stand by the Lord, to encounter him and his passion, to walk with him this week of Holy Week as we continue Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. He says, “I will give to you the Kingdom of Heaven.”
How could God, if he is loving, allow his only son to go through this? How could it happen? Well, the answer certainly must be there was no other way. That there was something mysterious about this way of Jesus dying that would set us free. That as we look upon him on the crucifix, we will be drawn away from sin and towards eternal life.
He says to Simon, “I have prayed for you for your own faith that you may not fail.” Then he says, “And once you have turned back you must strengthen your brothers.” For all of us who have turned back to the Lord, we must find a way to strengthen our brothers and sisters. During this week pray for those who are away from the church. Pray for those who have left Christ. But also walk with him. Walk hand in hand, step by step with him in the passion because there’s something that he wants to reveal to us. Even ask him the question, “Lord, why, why did you have to die,” and he will reveal to us the Paschal Mystery, that by dying he would rise. As we join in him as well with our suffering and our own passion and our own death, if we have lived with him and suffered with him and died with him, we will rise with him.
Jesus is King. All power and authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. He could have done anything. He could have come down from the cross, but for some reason he chose to stay there. This Holy Week let us meditate on that reason.
