Holy Week has begun, so take the week off and strive for holiness
I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend Palm Sunday. Among my many, many blessings, I was able to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass this morning. The same can’t be said for so many around the world, including our persecuted brethren in occupied Jerusalem. In the end, the Immaculate Heart will triumph but until then, the synagogue of satan is ramping up its talmudic tentacles of destruction. All of this was prophesied and no, we haven’t seen anything yet. So what are you (and I) going to do about it?
How has your Lent been? Mine could have been a lot better and the fact that it was sub-par is totally on me. On that note, I am going to take the week off and not re-surface until after Easter and I ask that you consider the same.
The world we live in is too noisy. Too stressful. Too addicted to scandal and sensationalism. Oh sure, there is a lot of bad stuff going on that we need to know about, but there comes a time when we need to withdraw to silence and true reflection. Is your prayer life suffering because you’re too focused on the bad things happening in The Church and in the secular world? Withdraw from it starting now. Are you waking up with a craving to see what the latest news is on the Iran war, TSA lines at the airport, the price of gasoline, or what Donald Trump said to piss off the hacks on MSNBC and The View? Withdraw from it starting now.
I don’t mean to downplay anything. Oh yes, we are in the run-up to something big. But, we can’t lose track of our own souls. More than a couple acquaintances of mine have died within the past couple of weeks. I (of course) pray for the repose of their souls but I can’t help but wonder if they died in true states of grace. That’s something to think about as the joy of Our Lord’s entry as Christ the King in Jerusalem suddenly halts and His Passion begins. We HAVE to stay focused on what’s above. When He calls us to our personal judgement, we HAVE to be ready. Are you? Right now, I’m not so sure that I am and that’s not good. So it’s time to withdraw and make things right.
I (temporarily) leave you with this painting by the early 20th Century Russian painter Arkhip Kuindzhi, titled Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Note the spotlight on Our Lord as he stands alone amidst a dark entry where shadowy people await Him. Let’s not abandon Him this week. Sign off on the internet, the news (which is 80% fake anyway) and other media. Focus on Him and don’t just stop with Good Friday - enjoy His Resurrection on Sunday and treat the Octave of Easter with the holiness it deserves - that means not falling back into sin or the temptation to sin. The world and all of its issues will be there for us when we return and maybe, just maybe, it’ll be a little better because we chilled out and prayed a little harder.
May God bless all of you this Holy Week and during the Octave of Easter.
