By Charles Muchiri
I was recently engaged in a small church talk with my boss – thanks to the employment gods, that we share the same faith. He reminded me of some small fact that seems to have been tucked at the furthest corners of my catechism lesson files, in my memory.
Here is the small fact, that the Roman Catholic Church is also known as Easter Church. My, my, my! No wonder the Easter season forms the epitome, the most important time on the Church’s liturgical calendar!
That said, after the celebrations of Christ’s resurrection, this Easter season has now only but began. It is so much here with us, that for the next four weeks, the Alleluia exclamation will be sounding anew, each day.
But let’s look back. The Easter season was obviously preceded by a long 40 days of vehement praying, of fasting, of abstinence, of almsgiving, of rededicating our Christian course to the Lord, while trying to retrace his passion. I say; ‘Retracing’ intentionally. Because much as we would wish to achieve the highest level of self-mortification, we can never really get anywhere near our Lord’s passion.
So, let’s reflect backwards. Besides the normal, pious exercise that most of us may have as well adhered to the letter, what else did we ever achieve, especially during this year’s Lenten season?
Let’s even get a bit personal here. What did you achieve in the course of this sober season on our church’s liturgical calendar?
Did you become a better Christian? Did you break some traditional ceiling in your Christian life - especially through prayers or fasting or abstinence or almsgiving or through those acts of worship that you indulged yourself in?
To me, the Way of the Cross is one act of worship that epitomises this period known as the Lenten season.
The 14 Stations of the Cross are a beautiful way of tracing Christ’s last steps towards the Calvary.
For me, there is one station that really strikes me repeatedly: Actually, one character, in the name of Simon of Cyrene.
“As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus,” (Lk 23: 26).
This story of Simon and his brush with a suffering God amazes me since the energies of Jesus, a True God, appears to be draining – in the eyes of the Roman soldiers who were enjoying every bit of what they were doing, torturing God!
In a big way, I associate myself with this station of the cross for one particular reason; If Jesus did experience the weight of the cross, if He also did experience the relief that came from Simon of Cyrene’s – though forced – hand of help; then if our crosses are too much to bear, He is in the best of position to give us his loving, His volunteering, His Divine hand of help if only we cried for his help!
For me, this is a big lesson to learn from the way of the cross, and not only a lesson, but a source of hope in my journey of faith. And what about you? What was your lesson?
(E-mail this writer: muchirimuchoki@yahoo.com)
Here is the small fact, that the Roman Catholic Church is also known as Easter Church. My, my, my! No wonder the Easter season forms the epitome, the most important time on the Church’s liturgical calendar!
That said, after the celebrations of Christ’s resurrection, this Easter season has now only but began. It is so much here with us, that for the next four weeks, the Alleluia exclamation will be sounding anew, each day.
But let’s look back. The Easter season was obviously preceded by a long 40 days of vehement praying, of fasting, of abstinence, of almsgiving, of rededicating our Christian course to the Lord, while trying to retrace his passion. I say; ‘Retracing’ intentionally. Because much as we would wish to achieve the highest level of self-mortification, we can never really get anywhere near our Lord’s passion.
So, let’s reflect backwards. Besides the normal, pious exercise that most of us may have as well adhered to the letter, what else did we ever achieve, especially during this year’s Lenten season?
Let’s even get a bit personal here. What did you achieve in the course of this sober season on our church’s liturgical calendar?
Did you become a better Christian? Did you break some traditional ceiling in your Christian life - especially through prayers or fasting or abstinence or almsgiving or through those acts of worship that you indulged yourself in?
To me, the Way of the Cross is one act of worship that epitomises this period known as the Lenten season.
The 14 Stations of the Cross are a beautiful way of tracing Christ’s last steps towards the Calvary.
For me, there is one station that really strikes me repeatedly: Actually, one character, in the name of Simon of Cyrene.
“As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus,” (Lk 23: 26).
This story of Simon and his brush with a suffering God amazes me since the energies of Jesus, a True God, appears to be draining – in the eyes of the Roman soldiers who were enjoying every bit of what they were doing, torturing God!
In a big way, I associate myself with this station of the cross for one particular reason; If Jesus did experience the weight of the cross, if He also did experience the relief that came from Simon of Cyrene’s – though forced – hand of help; then if our crosses are too much to bear, He is in the best of position to give us his loving, His volunteering, His Divine hand of help if only we cried for his help!
For me, this is a big lesson to learn from the way of the cross, and not only a lesson, but a source of hope in my journey of faith. And what about you? What was your lesson?
(E-mail this writer: muchirimuchoki@yahoo.com)
Comments
Post a Comment