What the Holy Week teaches

MANY precious insights and lessons can be derived if we

enter into the spirit of the Holy Week. Let us thank God for all of

them and strengthen our resolve to go through the Holy Week keeping

our faith and piety as vibrant as possible. That way, we can

predispose ourselves to continually discern these insights and

lessons, refining, polishing and deepening them as we go along.

            Among these precious insights and lessons is the idea of

human and Christian perfection which, I believe, is patently shown by

Christ as we liturgically celebrate his Passion, Death and

Resurrection.

            For many of us, our usual understanding of what is perfect

and complete is when we manage to pass a certain test, conquer a

certain battle, win in a certain contest, all measured in human terms.

            That is to say, that the victory and conquest is measured

in terms of points scored, wealth earned, popularity gained, or in

terms of mere physical and mechanical perfection.

            Those standards of perfection and completion obviously

have their proper value and place in the sun, but they definitely are

still far from what is ideal to us as persons and as children of God.

            They are far too exclusive, not inclusive, and are unable

to find value in suffering, and reason and meaning in the many human

imperfections and natural limitations that we all have.

            It’s an understanding of perfection that is not realistic,

given our wounded human nature and damaged condition. It fails to

consider many other things that are unavoidable in our earthly life.

            In this Holy Week, from Christ’s triumphal entry into

Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, to his death on the cross and

resurrection, what we see is Christ’s determination to perfect and

complete his redemptive work by obeying the will of his Father, no

matter what it costs.

            Our idea of human and Christian perfection has to conform

to that model shown to us by Christ. It can be very strict and

demanding insofar as the human and natural standards are concerned,

but all of that should not in any way undermine the charity and mercy

that has to be extended to everyone no matter how they are.

            We have to realize that our human and Christian perfection

is achieved to the extent that we follow Christ all the way to the

cross so that we too can share in his resurrection. It is a perfection

that will always involve suffering, that is, the cross of Christ that

paved the way to his resurrection.

            What the Holy Week teaches us is to train ourselves to

suffer with Christ, to take up the cross of Christ without fear. We

should be reassured of the victory that can be the consequence of this

attitude, banking also on the reassurance that was once expressed by

St. Paul:

            “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to

mankind. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond

what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a

way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Cor 10,13)