The Triduum is my favorite weekend in the entire liturgical calendar. On Holy Thursday we celebrate the Last Supper, and its institution into the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass. On Good Friday we celebrate the Lord's Passion, his blameless death on a cross for our sins. And on Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil, we celebrate his rising.
Every year the Good Friday service moves me. We sing the entire Passion (according
to John) and venerate a large wooden cross that symbolizes the place where our Savior was hung, bleeding and humiliated, to die. And every year, at some point between singing
Jesus, remember me
When you come into your kingdom
and
And when my hour of glory comes
When all was meant to be
You shall see me lifted up
Upon a tree
Behold, behold the wood of the cross
On which is hung our salvation
Oh come, let us adore
I start to cry. Like a baby.
Because while you may not believe, as I do, that Jesus rose three days later to offer salvation from the sins of all humanity, there is historical proof that he lived and was murdered brutally and publicly. He was stripped of his clothing, whipped with bone shards, nailed to a piece of wood, and hung on a hill for everyone to jeer at while they walked home from work, all for preaching a message of love and acceptance.
He was a man. And he died for others. Say what you will about my religion, but that's something to be respected.
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2 comments:
I like that your post humanizes this particular religious figure. I think it's a common misconception that most people of faith objectify the man until he's nothing more than a symbol and this post goes straight to that point. Although I may not be a "person of faith" exactly, fair representation is something I'm all about and this post definitely pushes this concept forward (it was also very touching).
Oh, yeah. Happy Easter.
Excellently phrased, Ali. It's a shame that the people who exemplify all the negative aspects of religion are the ones much more prominent in the media. People tend to lose sight of how it can be quietly and personally moving and enriching.
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