We are entering into what the Christian faith calls Holy Week. This is a week of joy and celebration, betrayal, disbelief and death, and finally resurrection and rejoicing. The Gospel stories of this week paint vivid pictures of the emotions and events that took place this week. To may Christians these stories are very familiar. What I invite you to do this Holy Week is spend some time rereading the narrative of Holy Week in a manner that I was introduced to my Ignatius Loyola.
Ignatius promoted a type of prayer were you immersed yourself into the Gospel story through you own power of imagination. For example, inn the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem imagine what it would be like to be in the crowd. What character might you be? What might you be hearing, feeling, or experiencing? Would you be someone in the crowd, one of the disciples, or perhaps on of those looking to kill Jesus? Then move on to the Passover meal or the night in Gethsemante. Which disciple would you be? Put yourself in Peter’s shoes as he denies know Jesus.
Where would you be standing at the trial of Jesus? What emotions would you be feeling? Now place yourself at the base of the cross as Jesus hangs there suffering an agonizing death. Who do you identify with? Finally move on to the empty tomb and seeing the resurrected Christ. Spend time sitting with the different characters from these stories to experience their emotions and feelings.
Remember you are reading these stories 2000 years after the events. Ignatius invites you to imagine the stories as they are happening. By using you imagination you might be able to experience Holy Week in a new way. Below is a suggested Holy Week reading schedule. Spend a little time each day reading and meditating on the scripture passage asking God to guide your thoughts. Pay attention to what God is inviting you to focus on in each of the passages.
Sunday – Matthew 21:1-11
Monday – Mark 11:12-26
Tuesday – Matthew 22:34-40
Wednesday – Luke 21:29-22:6
Thursday – John 13:1-20
Friday – Mark 15:6-15, 21-32
Saturday – John 19:28-42
Sunday – Luke 24:1-12
I love this approach! Thanks for sharing it!