I have had one of the best Lents of my life this year. Although not as true to fasting and works of charity, my prayer and reflection experience has been particularly fruitful. One reason for this is that I have finalized details of a mini (4 hour) retreat that I have been working on and presented this week at St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Omaha. I have been almost consumed with putting this retreat together in the hopes of enriching people’s experience of Holy Week, and my own, and I have found this to be very powerful.
There are several premises to the mini-retreat. First of all, there is so much drama and emotion that take place throughout Holy Week. In short, there is a whole lot more to the week than most of us realize and the richness of the stories of the week can lead us to a real depth of prayer and reflection. Secondly, how many of us take the time to participate or even follow along with the events of the ENTIRE Holy Week? My hunch is that most of us come to church on Palm Sunday, hear both the entry Gospel and the Passion, get a palm, place it in a special place, take a break until Thursday when we MAY go to get our feet washed. Many of us go to church on Good Friday, but if we do, most don’t participate in the Vigil on Saturday evening. The response is often, “Are you kidding, the Vigil on Easter Saturday night lasts three hours. That’s way too long.” We are often consumed with either hosting or traveling plans on Easter, and probably fit going to church into the schedule based on those family plans.
Believe me, I know that many of you put so much extra spiritual energy into Holy Week, but for many, it is a rarity that the ENTIRE Holy Week is the focus of our time or spiritual energy. SO, this four hour retreat takes participants through the WHOLE week and uses the experiences of Jesus and the other characters to stimulate our spiritual imaginations by tapping into OUR experiences of similar emotions and experiences. Once again, the Jesus story helps us to come in touch with our story. His experience can shed light on our life experiences and emotions.
Allow me to give you a brief run through using highlighted words from the Holy Week story and some related questions for your own life. I hope they enrich your week ahead.
ENTRY – Jesus entered into Jerusalem. Are you willing to enter into Holy Week in a deeper way?
PREPARATION – How was your Lent? Where are you emotionally? Spiritually? Are you willing to jump into Holy Week with greater prayer and reflection allowing yourself to connect more deeply with Jesus?
PROCESSION – Will you just watch Jesus go by or will you make a commitment to join him this week?
EXPECTATION – Hosanna! People expected Jesus to be a ruling King and a challenge to both Roman and religious leaders. Instead he suffered and died and rose. Did you ever have your expectations dashed? Did you recover? Did unmet expectations lead you to a new path in life?
MONDAY – Beginning, Creation. Retrieve a powerful moment of beginning in your life.
TUESDAY – Covenant, The Next Step. Retrieve a powerful moment of taking the next step in your life.
WEDNESDAY – The Eternal, Christ. Retrieve a powerful moment of the eternal in your life, something that lasts, something that you hope will last forever. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:51
TRIDUUM
Holy Thursday – The Eucharist is one of the major aspects of this sacred day. Eucharist is such a vast and deep and rich term that includes so many experiences. As you go through this list, please make a note of any powerful feelings or emotions, either positive or negative, that you may spend some extra time focusing on, reflecting on and thus praying with in a special way this week:
GATHERING…COMMUNITY…STORY…PRESENCE … BREAD…WINE…CHANGE…GRATITUDE…
Jesus INSTITUTED the Eucharist on Holy Thursday and the four Gospels give us two major ways that this institution is handed on to us. Mark, Matthew and Luke give us these words as a guide: TAKE…BREAK…EAT…DRINK…IDENTIFY…COMMISSION. John uses DOUBT…DISCOURSE…WASH…SERVICE…EXAMPLE…PERSONAL PRAYER.
Following the Last Supper there is a GARDEN experience that includes PRAYER…WATCH…STAY…AGONY…CUP (PAIN)…BETRAYAL…ARREST…ABANDONMENT…
Good Friday includes more than simply suffering. Consider the following, and even more that I might have missed, that Jesus endured and we might have as well. INTERROGATION…TRIAL…MOCKING…SCOURGING…HUMILIATION…CARRYING…STRIPPING…NAILING…SUFFOCATING…DOUBT (FORSAKEN), and in the face of his suffering, BEHOLDING…FORGIVING…SURRENDER.
The Easter Vigil and Easter usher us into not only new life but FIRE…JUDEO-CHRISTIAN STORY…LIGHT…INITIATION…EMPTY TOMB…STRANGE FACTS…BELIEF…LOVE…all of these encouraging us to BELIEVE in the Resurrection, to PROCLAIM its goodness, and make it an essential part of our MISSION going forward.
I pray that you have a good Holy Week.