Hi
everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Christina McKnight and
I am a sophomore Actuarial Science major.
Well
friends, Holy week begins as of today. The end of Lent is upon us, and soon we
will all be able to eat ice cream and watch television and do whatever it is
that we used to do before Ash Wednesday. Holy Week also means that we will be
reading the Passion (aka the longest Gospel that you will ever hear at mass)
twice this week. Twice will you have to stand for an extended period of time to
hear the story of the crucifixion. Twice you will probably zone in and out of
consciousness as the Passion is read because you have heard the passion twice a
year for at least 18 years, totaling to at least 36 times in mass alone.
This
is the attitude I usually have when it comes to the Passion during mass, but
after taking some time to reflect on the Passion, I found that this was a great
time to reflect on my Lenten experience. The different people that interact with
Jesus really jumped out to me; three people in particular when presented with a
chance to grow with Jesus respond in completely different ways. After reading
it a few times, I mentally created a Buzzfeed Quiz: “Which figure are you from
the Lord’s Passion?”
The
first person that stands out to me is Simon of Cyrene. Here is a dude who’s
just going about his merry way, when all of a sudden these soldiers tell him to
help Jesus carry his cross. It’s a guy that he’s never even met before, he
looks a little worse for wear, and he’s obviously very weak so he won’t be much
help in carrying the cross at all. But despite all of those factors he says yes
to help this stranger carry his cross. Did I say yes to Jesus in this regard?
Did I take up my own cross with my Lenten sacrifice to stand in solidarity with
Jesus? I would say that while I was very gung-ho at the beginning of Lent of
giving up desserts and journaling every day, I would be lying if I said that I
didn’t sneak a dessert every once in a while and that I didn’t skip a day of
journaling my prayers. I can’t quite say that I’m a Simon of Cyrene.
Perhaps
I’m a Judas. Judas has been hanging out with Jesus and traveling with him all
over the Middle East for years. Despite all of the time they’ve spent together,
he deliberately turns Jesus in to the authorities for a few pieces of silver. His
act of betrayal eventually drove him to kill himself in regret of what he has
done. I know I haven’t been the best with my Lenten resolution this year, but I
wouldn’t say that my actions are worthy of being compared to Judas (at least a
hope not).
No.
Not Simon, nor Judas. Then who? There is one last person who plays a
significant role in the Passion: Peter. Peter clearly desires so badly to be in
the company of Jesus. Listen to him as he talks to Jesus, “Surely it is not I who will
betray you?” The idea that he would betray Jesus, one if his best
friends, is absurd. Yet when the time comes for him to declare his ties to
Jesus, he denies it. Not once, but three times. When Peter realizes that he
acted just as Jesus had predicted, he weeps in sadness. I would have to say
that I can relate with Peter’s plight. At the beginning of this Lent and every
Lent I have the intention of carrying out my resolution for the whole 40 days,
but this year I would have to say that I was probably not the most dedicated
person to my cause. Like Peter I have missed out on a chance to grow closer to
God.
However
I don’t think I’m a completely lost cause. Like Peter I realize that I have
missed out on a chance to say “Yes” to God. But like Peter I will do my best to
improve and to be ready to say “Yes” the next time I get a chance. Friends,
Lent is a time of year where we are supposed to slow down and turn inward to
deepen our relationship with God. However, we aren’t limited to only 40 days a
year to deepen our prayer lives and grow closer to God. No, we are invited to
this opportunity 24/7, 365 days a year. As much as I would like to live exactly
as God wants me to, sometimes I just fall short. That is the beauty and the
sadness of the Lenten season. God loves us so much, that he died to save us
from all of our sings. I’ve heard somewhere, “When Jesus is on the cross with
his arms outstretched, he seems to be saying ‘This is how much I love you,’”
and I’ve always liked that imagery. So friends, even though the Lenten season
is almost at an end, let us continue to pray and grow closer to God. Thank you
all, and I hope I’ve given you all p-LENT-y to think about J
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