This is a teaching I gave recently that I wanted to share with you all. May we have a blessed and meaningful Holy Week!
It’s Holy Week once again. As Christians we commemorate and reflect on the meaning of the passion and suffering of Jesus Christ. It is just an ordinary week to many but something more personal to us.
Below is the acronym H-O-L-Y W-E-E-K to help us make this week not just an ordinary week but a truly meaningful and a holy one.
HALT! Stop for a while, or at least slow down. Take time to rest and relax. Your body needs rest, so find time to be still. Go away, disappear. Rest a while.
OFF with your worldly pursuits and concerns. Turn off your cellular phone if you have to, so that you can focus on your spiritual life this week. Forget quotas, forget deadlines and forget performance. Just be. Don’t let the world and its cares disturb the tranquility of your mind and soul this week. Let the world go by, and let the Lord take care of everything for once. Surprise yourself. Rediscover your inner strengths and simple joys. OFF to the world. ON to your heart. ON to your God.
LISTEN. If you are in the Off or Silent mode, then you can really listen, pray and meditate. Take time to listen to God and tell him what’s happening with your life. Allow the Father to wrap His loving arms around your shoulders once again and just listen. Listen also to your own inner self, not just to your day-to-day wants and needs. Is there something you are missing in your life? Is there something more you need to do?
YIELD to God. Let go of your grip on your own life. Be on the lookout for His road signs as you travel on. Listen to His instructions, and you will find your way. Better still, let Him do the navigating and the driving.
WARM up your relationships. Time to allow your loved ones to feel that warm-and-sunny-spring you and not the cold-and-cloudy-winter you. Reach out to the people you have taken for granted or left out altogether. Time to call a friend and use your lifeline, or ask your audience – for an apology, for help, for suggestions. Call, talk, write, smile and hug. Use anything that will help you repair, restore and revitalize your relationships.
ERASE the burdens of guilt and sin with a good, honest and humble confession. Heed God’s call: “Come back to me, with all your heart. Don’t let sin keep us apart. Long have I waited for your coming home to me.” In response to God’s love, may we all say to God, especially this week: “Create a clean heart in me; 0 God. Give back to me the joy of your salvation.” Time also to erase hurts, resentments, anger and ill feelings. Forgive people who hurt you, and ask for forgiveness from people you have hurt, cheated, used or abused in any way.
EXPRESS your love. Whatever you do, especially this week, like praying, fasting, works of penance and deeds of charity, let them all be expressions of your love and gratitude to God. Let them be done not out of fear, or out of obligation.
KNEEL down. In humility, kneel down in prayer before God and thank Him for suffering so much. Thank Him for dying on the cross and for rising again for our salvation. Somebody died for you and me. Let us not allow this week to pass without personally thanking Him.
As our lenten journey comes to a close may this Holy Week be a time for us to Halt, Off, Listen, Yield to God, Warm up, Erase, Express our love and Kneel down so that we may appreciate the reason why we call this week Holy!
PRAYER OF REFLECTION: Lord, help me make Holy Week really holy. Amen