Day 38: Human

Quite the busy day Jesus had before He died.

He washed the feet of his followers, giving them an example of how to continue the work He began and how we should all serve one another. And lastly, He gave us the Eucharist. His physical way of being one with us throughout time. A symbol of sorts to show His lasting fidelity to His flock.

As much as this was Godly stuff, it was very human. If I knew I had one day left to live, I would profess and express my love to those closest to me. I would tell my wife to be strong, and my kids to take care of each other, and to remember that I will always love them.

Jesus’ two final acts with his apostles express the same sentiment, of caring for each other, and being reminded how much He loved, and will continue to love them. Jesus was a down-to-earth, true blue human being. But Him being God as well, these two simple acts are so profoundly foundational in my Catholic faith. Talk about leaving a legacy.

Well played Jesus. Well played.

Tags | catholic, Lent 2011, reflection

Day 37: Dig

Not much words at this point of the Lenten Challenge. I think I’m coming to the point of slowing down on the output process, to just focus on the moments that are the cornerstone of my faith. I think it’s time to dig deeper inside.

 

 
For all those reading from an imported note on FaceBook, here’s the video link.

Tags | catholic, Lent 2011, reflection

Day 36: Push

Now that this Lenten Journey is coming to a close, and the Easter Triduum is only a few days away, it’s been hard not to think about anything else then Jesus’ anguish during this whole ordeal of Easter.

From sweating blood while praying, your homies falling asleep when you need them the most, being betrayed by a colleague, denied three times by his closest friend, beaten and wrongfully arrested and then held overnight in a prison. I mean, this is only the day before He actually carries the cross and gets nailed to it to die.

When things go bad, it seems to compound almost instantaneously. One bad thing after another, and it usually gets a whole lot worse before it gets any better.

With all of this, I really have to give it up for Jesus’ toughness physically, mentally and spiritually. Where most would shut down in some fashion, Mr. Christ is clutch, and pushes through all the way to take one for the team. And when I say team, I mean humanity.

Jesus the Christ. MVP. No question.

Tags | catholic, Lent 2011, reflection

Day 35: Rise

Holy Week is an example of how to go about the business of life. Let’s break it down:

You have good days, where all seems well in the universe (Palm Sunday). You have really bad days (Holy Thursday) where all the things in your life seem to crumble. Then you have days where it seems the whole world is against you (Good Friday). You have days where you just mope around depressed, not knowing where to go from here (Black Saturday).

But the moment we choose to focus on hope, we rise again with a new confidence (Easter Sunday). That these scars that you now bear only act as a reminder of what you’ve overcome. Life begins again, only you’ve changed. Better, stronger, wiser and more comfortable in your own skin.

From the lowest lows, to the greatest heights, all must be experienced in order to live this life to the fullest.

 

Tags | catholic, Lent 2011, reflection

Day 34: Constellations

Today, our little family went to the Children’s Museum, for a much needed day of family shenanigans.

There was a little exhibit there that Audrey and I had a chance to enjoy, and it was a mini observatory so that we could learn about stars and space. The thing that intrigued me the most (maybe not Audrey so much) was Constellations. They’re basically a grouping of stars that represent things like animals and people mostly, which conveniently have stories associated with them. This began as a way to map out the sky, just like we would map out land. This helped travellers (sailors mostly) get to there destinations, and the stories were probably used so that people would remember them.

I think my life (my past specifically) are a lot like these constellations. That the stars of the past that scatter the night sky of my life are pieced together to form interesting images with stories, to help me map out my journey. To help me remember the things that have formed me to be the man I am today, and more importantly to remember that I’ve trekked in those areas before. Just as the stars will always constantly be there, so will my past. Some of it good, some of it bad, but all of it mine. But all working together to get me where I’m supposed to be.

And where is that exactly? Let’s just say it’s past the stars.

Tags | catholic, reflection