Taking Holy Week Seriously

What a week it had been so far! Jesus knew what was ahead of Him but instead of quiet solitude, every morning he would travel into Jerusalem, spend time teaching the Kingdom of God in the temple courts and then head back every evening to Bethany. His message, as his impending death drew near seemed to be so much about being ready for his second coming with teaching about the signs that we could expect at that time, and stories and parables about Vineyards and Tenants, Talents and Virgins. While all this is going, on the chief priests and elders are plotting against Jesus, and Judas, one of his disciples, whose greatest strength was money and finances, discovered that it was also his greatest weakness as he sold out the Lord for 30 pieces of silver!

Each day Jesus would have come in and gone out through the city gates where many of the poor and marginalised would have been looking for generosity and support. In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus is talking about the fact that when the Son of Man comes, he will show favour to those who didn’t just think of themselves but reached out to the poor.

Well might we ask during this Holy Week, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you with no place to stay and welcome you into our home? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’

“Then the king will answer, ‘The truth is, anything you did for any of my people here,[a] you also did for me.’ Matthew 25:37-40

Open my eyes that they may see the deepest needs of people;

Move my hands that they may feed the hungry;

Touch my heart that it may bring warmth to the despairing;

Teach me the generosity that welcomes strangers;

Let me share my possessions to clothe the naked;

Give me the care that strengthens the sick;

Make me share in the quest to set the prisoner free.

In sharing our anxieties and our love,

our poverty and our prosperity,

we partake of your divine presence. Amen