HOLY WEEK: THE JOURNEY FROM JERUSALEM TO CALVARY

THE THEOLOGY OF HOLY WEEK IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION

The Paschal Mystery of Christ as been described by the fathers of the Vatican II as the culmen at fons of the Christian faith. The holy week is a microcosm the reenactment of the paschal mystery of Christ. Hence, the Holy week celebrations are the windows through which Christ manifested in its terminal apogee his vocation on earth. This explains why the celebrations of the Holy week are specially designed and aptly liturgically manifesting the importance and the significance of the different days that collaborate to put to fore the last days of Jesus on earth. Its importance has been more established in the various documents, encyclicals of the church reiterating the need for active participation and devotion to every liturgical gathering of the week together with all the distinct liturgical celebration which serve the purpose of anamnesis and epiclesis for and on the faithful. The Holy week thus has been characterized as a journey from Jerusalem to Golgotha depicted from the triumphant entry to the cross of crucifixion. It was indeed a summary of the Christian faith. Christ remains the centre of the Holy week as he has been all through the liturgical year; however, he occupies the central stage at this critical point with acute alacrity. This week is therefore coloured with some kind of theological readiness and willingness to accept the fate allotted to the suffering servant of Yahweh as Isaiah had proclaimed in the prophecy. Christ is therefore attached to all the celebrations and comments of the scripture and he is seen at every scene doing the will of God even to the point of death. Without the Holy week it would not be wrong to affirm that there would be no Christian Faith. This is so because the Christian faith magnificently celebrated today was a product of the agonizing fate the messiah of the world has to bear. The Hand of God has beautifully prepared this week long festivity for Christ as a culmination of his physical life and as a beginning to our own eternal life. It is the terminus of death and the prolegomenon to life everlasting. It is therefore apt that for any derivation of plenitudes of grace, an individual must commit himself actively and intrinsically into the activities of this peculiar period or else the redemptive graces of the season may be suspended till further notice. A better way to showcase this is to delve into the week chronologically. A substantial immersion into the waters of the Holy week is bathing in the life of Christ who is the fountain of life. The week presents a diurnally experience of Jesus, knowing him more and loving him more. It is essentially a personal search for the identity of Jesus.          

PALM SUNDAY: THE PARADOX OF HISTORY

On the first day of the week, Jesus sets his face and feet to Jerusalem the Holy City. Jesus ascent into Jerusalem is fashioned form a primary goal. There was a festival and as an ardent Jewish adult, Jesus hurries to attend the festival- a festival that would later be the sacrifice of himself as the victim and also the priest. The preparation of Jesus towards the Passover indicated the important of worship to him. Meanwhile, a crowd followed Jesus ad his disciples, they had been expecting him and asking if he would attend the festival. But what is the major concern of the people asking whether Jesus will come? They wanted him to declare himself chiefly if he was the messiah. Jesus has been manifesting a lot of miracles and signs. He was going around doing good. (Acts 10:38). For the people of Israel, Jerusalem would be the best place and more so, the festival will be the best forum for such messianic declaration which will obviously be a political coup d'état against the Romans which they had longed for. If he refused the proclamation of himself as the messiah, he may never come then, they thought. On the other side of this expectancy is the band and brood of vipers, the Pharisees who are waiting anxiously and furiously for him to attend the last festival as a human being because he would not miss this chance like the many he had dogged and slipped when they tried to kill him.

However, with these tensions on both sides of expectancy for the advent of Jesus, the reality that played itself in the scene was a triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem. The entry was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zachariah. They were shouting Hosanna in the Highest; the original interpretation of Hosanna refers to an urgent supplication like “come to our aid”. Hence, this supplication corresponds to the anticipation of the Israelites of a messiah that will liberate Israel; from the hands of their “oppressors.” This messianic tone filled the whole temple with lauds and joy and the king rode on a young donkey, this again was a symbolism of the humility o the Lamb of God. He rode on a donkey that has never been ridden; this was a mark of his purity. He is given birth to from the ingenuity of a pure virgin.           

THE OTHER DAYS: JESUS THE DIPLOMAT

The days after the Passion Sunday were the hidden days of the Lord, though he taught in the temple corners, the Pharisees and scribes sought to kill him but he would always escape them by fleeing, slipping from them and by disappearance because his time had not come. During these trying days, the Lord Jesus was teaching his disciples about his death and resurrection but the disciples would not understand him. They would only understand him when he had risen from the dead. The conclusion of it all is the unbelief of the Jews. It was as if the seemingly messiah has failed in their expectation; hence they lost faith in him and disbelief his teachings even though he accompanied them with signs and wonders. However, the Gospel of John depicted this unbelief in accordance to the prophecy of Isaiah that “he has blinded their eyes, he has hardened their hearts” (Is. 6:10) 

After the welcome of Jesus through the triumphant salutation and reception, Jesus entered the temple and saw the profane activities of the people of Israel especially as regards the commercial enthronement of economist and marketers making the temple into a busy market. Because of the devotion that burns in the heart of Jesus, he cleansed the temple by flogging out and turning their goods and money on the ground. Again, he did this to emphasize the actions that are befitting to the house of God. It should not be a den of robbers but a house of prayer. The week continues with the preaching of Jesus especially about his exit from the world and the preparation for that cruel act of the leading figures of the society. As the days unfold, core mysteries began to emerge especially in the Triduum which marked the pinnacle of the Holy Week mysteries.

HOLY THURSDAY: THE TWIN INSTITUTION

Two major inaugurations took place on Holy Thursday that is worth remembering all the time; the institution of the Holy Eucharist, the Passover meal of our Lord and the institution of the priesthood of Christ. The institution of the Eucharist necessitated the installation of the priesthood of Christ. The last supper is the Passover of the Lamb of God that indicated that the hour has come for Jesus to be delivered from the world. In other words, Jesus was celebrating his anticipated departure with his disciples already at the event of the last supper. However, during the Lord’s Supper, Jesus wanted to leave them an example they must follow, what is this example? While they were at supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. This was a significant manifestation of a bundle of virtues. Nevertheless, what Jesus wanted to point out in deed was the reality and virtue of service. Hence, all the disciples must be servants to others in bringing the word of God to others. Even at the refusal of the impetuous Peter, the Lord explained in detail the need for washing the feet of his disciples. This became a major point of call in the whole scene of the Passover. It was indeed another of those impossible parables of Jesus. “The master washing the feet of his servant” is unbearable to the Jewish ears. Just like ears too, it sound twinkling and awkward at the same time. But that is the example he has left us to follow, that is the Christian visa to heaven.

After the manifestation of this great sacrament of service, the devil entered the man who is to betray Jesus. Altogether again, Jesus began his farewell discourses. In this discourses, the Lord taught them that he is the true vine and we are the branches. He characterized the future relationship that should exist between his disciples and the world and he promised the Holy Spirit. This began his priestly prayer for his disciples. He prayed for unity, for love and harmony among them also for endurance and perseverance. But suddenly he disappeared!           

GOOD FRIDAY: THE DEVIL ON THE BACK OF JESUS

But why the cross? It is hard to dance with the devil on one’s back. Jesus fate to suffer death is never a trivial task that should be forgotten by any at all circumstances. The most dreaded of all Fridays was the day the Lord was tortured, carried his cross and eventually died for the fulfillment of the will of God which was to drink of the sorrowful cup. The trial of Jesus was such a controversy and the judgment passed as well was in fact providential. Though tried for blasphemy, he was not guilty because HE IS WHO HE IS. The prize of redemption was a plenitude of grace for humanity. Series of event line in queue on the discourse of the cross but essentially, Jesus underwent death to give us life, he underwent the cross to give us the crown. He improvised himself to make us rich. For God, the perfect way of redemption must come from the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to magnificently express the quantum ergonomic salvation that was won for us. What more can we say about the cross that to accept all the crosses we have been called to carry in our own lives.        

HOLY SATURDAY: THE HOLIEST OF ALL NIGHTS

A sadden still silence shadows the whole universe. The author of life has been killed, what an irony! The weeping eyes can no longer weep for air has stand still. We are all suffocating in trepidation and horror. He is in the grave doing what? Is our hope, a bunch of hopelessness? There is a total enigmatic dilemma for the disciples. Maybe he is not the Lord after all, some said. For he said he will rise again, that he is the life and that anyone who comes to him will never die, but he is dead himself, is that not a shameful faith that we have entrusted in his teachings and miracles? There was great silence and confusion in the land, the confusion abounded because people would not talk to each other so they could not even share their hopelessness and unbelief. They all waited anticipatorily for the next minute to watch the drama that would happen again for the king of glory has been crucified. It is another search altogether for a new messiah and seeker. 

In the midst of this gloomy misery and wretchedness, some still looked upon the darkness for an emergence of a shining light.     

WILL HE REMAIN IN THE GRAVE?  

How will the Lord of life remain forever in the grave? He arose on the third day; the Lord of life arose from the dead and stayed beside his tomb for the beautiful morning when the first eye will see him. Came running Mary Magdalene in the early hours of Sunday morning, though with a faithless of coming to anoint the Lord and to probably shed the last drain and rolls of tears met a different story all together at the graveside. Her Lord has been stolen. In the attempt to find the thief and restore the stolen body, the Lord himself manifested and she believed. But the message was quite to joyous and heavy in the ears, she begged to let the mouth do its work of proclaiming the goodness that the Lord has risen from the dead.

THE THEOLOGY OF HOLY WEEK AND MODERN CHRISTIANS

It is apt to therefore conclude with a message for modern Christians that the events of the Holy Week are the sagas of our faith. But it does not just end with the narration of a happy ending as it is in fairy tales and some fables. This is a story of faith coloured with divine historiography and providential economy that goaled into the salvation mandate of the Blessed Trinity. It is thence the celebration of the life of Jesus and we cannot be Christians until we immerse ourselves into this celebration to be incorporated with Christ. Unless we unite ourselves with the vine, we will forever remain a broken branch of the divine vine.