“All of you will have
your faith shaken…” ~Mark 14:27
During the last 24 hours of his physical life on earth, Jesus had many
encounters with many different people. We will also meet a lot of people and do
a lot of things this coming week.
As we enter Holy Week, we might find it helpful to ask ourselves, “Where
will I meet Christ this week? Will I encounter Christ at a quiet reflective
dinner with friends, or will I meet him when a close friend or coworker betrays
my trust?
Perhaps I will meet Christ while praying in a quiet garden or some other
contemplative place; Or perhaps when I am confronted by angry, judgmental
people.
Will I encounter Christ when I am judged by others because of my race,
nationality, religion, age, sexual orientation, opinions, physical appearance
or even the way I dress? Will I realize Christ’s presence whether people are
cheering with me or jeering at me?
Will I meet Christ in the friend who tells me what I don’t want to hear,
but need to hear? Or will I hope to find Christ in the person who only tells me
what I want to hear for their own personal benefit?
Will I find him when I am with my family and friends, or when I am
abandoned by all of them?
At the end of the week, will I drag my cross, laden with problems, resentments,
disappointments, failures, personal tragedies, shame and unhappiness, to the
top of a hill, and find that the only person there willing to help is Christ?
In that moment, in that encounter, he will smile and say, “Let me take
that from you. I can handle it.”
Have a Blessed Holy Week.
“I
got this Jesus tattoo on my wrist when I was 18 because I know that it’s always
going to be part of me. When I’m playing, it’s staring right back at me,
saying, ‘Remember where you came from.’” ~Katy Perry, American
recording artist, songwriter, and actress (b 1984)
©2013 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.
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