Endure

15 Apr

“Nothing great is ever achieved without enduring much.”  ~ St. Catherine of Siena

Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord.  At that Mass, we took part in the proclamation of the Passion Gospel.  It was bittersweet, to say the least.  How tragically sad that we are such sinners that Christ would have to die on a cross in order to set us free from sin and death.  Yet, in the cross is our glory.

It may humble us to think that Jesus would die for each and every one of us.  It may make us sad and upset to know that our sins put Him on the cross.  However, as we reflect further, we become terrified as well when we realize that Jesus has asked us to shoulder our own crosses as we follow Him to heaven.

“We were made for better things”, we might say.  “We were made for joy and not sorrow.  We were made for a carefree life and not for burden.”  We could say all of those things.  However, we would be wrong and that would merely be our humanity speaking.  First and foremost, we were made for God.  And if, indeed, we must shoulder a cross in order to return to God, well, so be it!

This week is the most difficult week of the liturgical year for Christians.  It is so because it reminds us of the fickleness of our human nature: how, on one hand, we could shout for joy proclaiming Christ as our King and, on the other hand, we can holler even louder, “Crucify Him!”  It is part of the burden of our cross to know that we placed Jesus on His cross.

Let the story of this week speak to you.  Acknowledge your humanity and your sin.  Confess your sin to the Lord and seek His forgiveness.  Enter the Holy Days of the Triduum filled with incredible hope and joy knowing that the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection were endured and accomplished for you.

FAITH ACTION:  Accept the trials that come your way today willingly so that you may join in the sufferings of the Lord.