Sacred Connections: Holy Week
We huddled in the chilly winds in Ault Park on Palm Sunday. Those dressed warmly enjoyed watching the clouds moving at a brisk pace. Those not so warm in body, experienced warmth in spirit, being with other hearty beloved souls, seeing familiar welcoming eyes above masks, and listening to the beautiful voices of our Church of the Redeemer Choir. The altar cloth was taped down firmly in defiance of the wind.
Our liturgy took us from one extreme to another. We heard of Jesus’ celebratory entry into Jerusalem, with adoring crowds and waving palms. Then, all too quickly, we stood solemnly for the reading of the Passion, the painfilled description of Jesus’ crucifixion, his death on the cross.
In the early days of this week, we enjoyed bright sunny days, Ault Park’s magnificent Cherry Blossom trees in full bloom and beauty. But by yesterday, the sudden snow flurries camouflaged the cherry blossom tree outside my home. Such is spring in Cincinnati, and it feels so fitting for Holy Week too.
On Monday - Wednesday we gathered in the comfort of our homes via Zoom as we journeyed together through the early part of this week. We heard of dinner at Lazarus home, Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet with nard, Judas’ harsh reaction, and Jesus’ response, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
Last night, Maundy Thursday, our Gospel reading began with a dinner being shared by Jesus and his friends before the festival of the Passover. The shifting winds in those scenes must have been felt by all. We heard of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and speaking of his disciples being clean, but knowing who will betray him, saying, “Not all of you are clean.” And then Jesus says to his disciples the words none of them would have wanted to hear – “Little children, I am with you only a little longer… Where I am going you cannot come.” And he gives them “a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love one another."
A potentially festive dinner shifted to a very solemn tone. In our Maundy Thursday liturgy, we stripped the altar and turned off the church lights. We kept watch overnight with prayers and readings of sacred texts. Then today, we prepare for our Good Friday service when we will hear the reading of our Lord’s Passion again.
During this season of the pandemic, everything feels a bit more heightened, more extreme. The moments of beauty are breathtaking; the moments of being with loved ones fill our hearts; the moments of fear, dread, violence can make it seem difficult to breathe. There’s a poignancy and sense of vulnerability that seems to permeate our individual lives, our community, and our broader world. And this rawness may enable us to enter the story of our Lord in a more tender and heartfelt way than ever before.
Let us continue this Holy Week journey together, without shortcuts or leapfrogging to the end. Let us allow Holy Week to speak to us this year, listening afresh with the experience and hard-fought wisdom that has formed us over the past twelve months. Let us walk together, pray together, and journey with faith that however the winds turn, we walk with Jesus. We walk the path of love.
