The Tridium: HOLY THURSDAY.
We are now entering the three day celebration, of a Mystery. Not just any Mystery, but as The Eucharistic Liturgy teaches, "it is, The, Mystery of our faith". We pray, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again", The Paschal Mystery for short. How has this Christ come to inter our human history? "He was conceived by The Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary". In his Letter to The Philippians, St.Paul teaches, in the second chapter, " He was known to be of human, and it thus that He humbled Himself, obediently accepting death, death on a cross." Death on a cross was not just any death, it was the death reserved as punishment for a runaway slave.
It was a death so ignominious, that The Jewish people saw it as ending your life in a place of cursedness, to quote "cursed is he who hangs upon, the wood". The Historic Jesus, Who became The Christ of God, went to that place of "cursedness", so that when we have to confront, physically encounter our place of darkness, powerlessness, and cursedness we have awaiting us, Who ? The Incarnated Mercy of The Prodigal Father. Who has the power to heal us, soothe us, comfort us, protect us, transfigure and transform. Where do you encounter and embrace such gifts. There must be something virginal, about all, or nearly all of who you are in 2025 encounter with The Paschal Mystery. To be a vital celebration we must bring our new way of being, our new way of seeing. It cannot be the same of the past, it must your contemporary encounters.
Holy Thursday Solemn Liturgy, beckons us to reflect on, what is now known as the first mass. The priesthood was established. What vivifying understanding has a dynamic effect on each Eucharistic Celebration. Are we actually in each celebration, celebrating the priesthood of The Chosen People of The New Testament ? Or we just at each celebration hoping that something may rub off on us ? " No deposit, no return" holds true for each Liturgical celebration. The Gracious Creative Power will NOT do for us, what we can do for ourselves ????
Can you break into a sweat of blood ? All humans can, if they get that scared. You have to be at the pinnacle of fear for you to sweat blood. It does not usually happen, but if it does The Good Shepherd is there to wipe our brow, and refresh "our drooping spirit."
You may want to go to last years reflection to round ooff all I have missed. A joyous, mysterious, a vivifying Easter Tridium to all. This is your inner story being revealed. Embrace that which your first reaction is to recoil. Love, prayers, and Paschal Joy to all. Great grandpa Joe.
No comments:
Post a Comment