Posts Tagged ‘blog’
Rest Stop (Palm Sunday) … the start to an emotional week
Today, for Christians around the world, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the days leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Spiritually, Holy Week has always been a special time for me as this week is a high point of much emotion in the life of Jesus, His early followers, and for me. In my personal spiritual journey I try to understand what it was like living in the time of Jesus. I read historical books as well as the Bible in my attempt to more deeply understand and feel the emotions of the people of the time. In my effort for a deeper and closer relationship with God, I immerse myself into the Bible stories, trying to feel what they felt; experience what they experienced. This week, Holy Week, is a recollection of not just an ancient story, but a retelling of real events which happened to real people who lived real emotions, real feelings, and real experiences.
Our challenge this week is to enter into the emotions of the apostles and the bystanders as they experienced the events leading up to the betrayal, arrest, death and later resurrection of Jesus. The emotions of this week begin today, with the joyous celebration of Jesus entering, as a beloved hero, into Jerusalem. Later this week the joyous celebration and exaltation of today becomes the confusion of Thursday as one of their own betrays and hands over Jesus to the Romans to be arrested. Quite quickly the feeling of confusion turns to fear and depression on Friday when Jesus is tortured and later killed as a common criminal. Jesus, for whom they left family and jobs, is now dead, betrayed by one of their own! Three days later comes the bewilderment and hope as news spreads of Jesus’ resurrection Sunday morning!
As this week unfolds I will share with you my reflections and feelings of the events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. I invite you to join with me in my spiritual journey this week. Share with us your reflections and emotions as you journey through this holy week.
My challenge for today:
- What can I do to more deeply understand the emotions and reactions of the apostles as they triumphantly enter Jerusalem?
- What can this week teach me about my faith life?
- How do I hope to have my life changed by this exercise of delving into the emotions of the stories of this week?
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Rest Stop (Sunday) … coping with the time change
Last night, many of us in the United States turned the hands of time ahead one hour as we are entering the period identified as Daylight Savings Time. Our ability to change time prompts a few questions for me, some mundane and some a bit more philosophical. But, to stay grounded I will refrain, for this post, from discussing the abstract philosophical notions of time. Rather, I would like to reflect on this day in two specific ways, namely, how do we take advantage of our “extra hour” of daylight, and, what does time mean in our own lives.
I am certain many of us have had life experiences for which we have wished we could either turn back time or move time forward to change particular life events. There are times that we wish we could have back to cherish again, to say something different, do something different, or to have never had happen in the first place. But, regardless of our ability to change clocks, we do not yet have the ability to go back in time. Therefore we struggle with our personal feelings of resentment, disappointment, anger, sorrow, etc.
But, all is not lost. Even though we cannot go back in time to change the event, we still can change our current feelings about the event. In our reflection about past events, what can we learn from them? What steps can we take to avoid a future repeat? Do we have the opportunity to “make peace” with those from our past? If so, do it now. We aren’t able to change the event from the past, but we can change our response and thoughts now, in the present moment. We do not live in the past nor should we dwell there. But the past provides us tools for us to learn and to grow in the present moment. Wisely use the tools your past provides you. What you do today becomes your past tomorrow.
So, what do I do with the time I have been given? Here are some of my thoughts:
- Sleep. Rest is vital for a healthy mind, soul and body.
- Spend an hour in reflection on your past to use as a guide as you plan your future.
- Use the time for reflective journaling.
- Write to a friend or family member whom you have not recently contacted.
- Do something you typically don’t have time to do, like taking a walk, observing nature, reading a book.
- Spend quality time with the people closest to you.
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