During the last couple weeks of Lent I’ve been reading a devotional blog called “Take a Road Trip With Jesus.” It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek but also gives me an opportunity to reflect on the Gospels in more of a contemporary setting.
It’s kind of funny that I’m reading this blog, because my family will tell you that if there’s one thing I don’t like, it’s road trips. If there’s a destination to get to, then I want to get there all the faster. I have little patience for side trips.
Obviously it’s a little bit different with Jesus. When he made the decision to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), he told his followers and they set out. He must have known that although many people would cheer him when he entered the city, the authorities would eventually arrest him. He must have known that death waited for him across the valley. And yet, he must have known that he couldn’t live with integrity without proclaiming his message in Jerusalem, which was the home of religious and political leaders who had corrupted God’s message of hope and peace.
Regardless, the Gospels tell us that one day, he decided to cross that valley and enter Jerusalem. You know the rest of the story.
What about each of us? What decisions face us that call for sacrifice and courage? Do we have friends whose destructive behavior we should challenge Are there people at school that need to be stood up for? Are there broken relationships that we are afraid to repair?
Holy Week is the time to face those decisions. Watch Holy Thursday as Jesus shows us how to drop our pride and put others first. Don’t miss Good Friday, where he courageously suffers and dies for what he believes. Celebrate Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, where his Resurrection provides proof that death, violence, and fear have no supreme power.
Let’s pray for one another and our hard decisions as we watch Jesus make his. And just like this road trip, we’ll find him walking beside us, offering the courage and wisdom we need.
Have a blessed weekend and Holy Week!
--Jim
Readings at USCCB.org
Living the Word resource
At the Procession with Palms - Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11
First Reading: Isiah 50:4-7
Psalm: 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel: Matthew 26:14—27:66
