.

As I pondered Jesus’ Palm Sunday entry to Jerusalem, to be honest, it got me down a bit.

I became aware of how easily I fit rather comfortably into a secular world view — then I use religious language and spiritual concepts to justify my hypocrisy.

Of course I know that the reign of God is not of this world, and I do seek to follow Jesus, but perhaps my mistake is in treating the teaching of Jesus as a little more than a buffet of lifestyle possibilities?

Yes I am ok with trying (and failing but at least trying) to love my neighbour, but forgiveness of enemy is surely going too far.

Yes I can cope with helping those in need, but embracing poverty in spirit, well, too much.

Then when I take time to be still and in silence I know that Jesus is reminding me that when He invited me to follow Him, and I responded with my “ok”, he was wanting my company — enabling His journey through Gethsemane to Calvary to be OUR journey.

He and me. The two of us.

My problem is that I have no desire to suffer unjustly and die by execution.

But now the consolation comes.

Neither did Jesus want to suffer and die.

As I feel this divine companionship Jesus takes me deeper.

Jesus didn’t want to be misunderstood. But he was.

Jesus didn’t want to be betrayed or denied, especially by his friends. But that happened too.

Jesus certainly did not want to be executed as a criminal.

But this was His life.

This is also our life, because this is THE life. We saw this life pattern in yesterday’s seasons reflection — summer through autumn to the new life of spring.

When we experience anything that feels like even a taste of death or darkness we have an opportunity to really live intimacy with Jesus.

Just the two of us.

Yes, this is our divinely human reality.

And so too it is the reality of our Church called to be poor in spirit.

We may experience some freedom from past moralism and legalism but too often now the Church seeks to accomodate and even befriend capitalism fearing that our faithful and fearless communication of the message of Jesus might upset those who fund our Church plans and projects.

And in this fear we forget that those who suffer and die unjustly in our world today are not statistics in government policy or participants in military action but instead those who suffer are our sisters and brothers, casualties of political greed and victims of the evil of violence promoted by warmongers.

Today I’m encouraged (Christ literally is putting courage into me) in the texts of scriptures given to this Monday in Holy Week.

 

…………I, the Lord, have called you…