Holy Week encompasses the vast scope and contradiction in human emotion, motivation and action. It might be tempting to stand back in judgement or keep our souls distant from the gospel stories. Yet Jesus beckons us to come close and follow him as his story unfolds.
We might prayerfully approach these scenes with interested curiosity. What might be motivating the words and actions of the individuals in them? When people don’t understand, when they are feeling afraid or ashamed, they may act in ways that often betray their values. Perhaps there is one person in particular that you feel drawn to companion through Holy Week. Listen with an open and compassionate heart as you keep company with Jesus and the others on the journey to the cross. Like the disciples, there is much that we don’t understand. Yet we can choose to be present with the ever present God-With-Us, to be with the hope, pain, and tragedy of human experience.
John 12:12-16 NLT
The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!”
Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:
“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.”
His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.
For Reflection and Prayer:
What did you hear as you listened to the text? Did a word or phrase stand out in particular? Repeat it to yourself, savoring the word(s).
Meditate on this word, phrase or picture. Notice what speaks to your heart. Tend to that.
Have a conversation with God about what you are noticing. You might journal your thoughts and feelings and how you sense God responding to you.
Savor any consoling words or pictures God gives you. Simply rest in God’s presence.
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