Author: admin

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When we grieve, our world becomes black, hyper-focused on the one we’ve loved, and lost.

Thousands of families have discovered this since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, some for the very first time.

It feels like the lights have been turned off inside.

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Such was the feeling of the disciples on Good Friday.

Jesus was everything to them – their best friend; their leader; their Lord.

Then poof! He was gone in an instant. Darkness.

Terrified, the disciples rush into hiding, fearing for their own lives. 

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Why, then, did Peter open the door in our first reading and begin preaching to the very crowds who put Jesus to death?

“This man,” he says, “you killed…But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.”

Why the sudden change in attitude?

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Peter’s seen the Risen Lord! He’s so convinced of this that he risks his own life to tell others about it.

Jesus has transformed Peter’s sorrow into joy. You might say, the lights have been flipped back on. This time, permanently.

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But what about me?  Has my experience of grief turned the lights off inside, leaving me in the dark, stuck on Good Friday?

It’s a real possibility as the Coronavirus wreaks havoc on our world. People mourn for their loved ones just as Peter mourned for Jesus.

Or has my experience of Easter turned that sorrow into joy?

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An Easter faith turns the lights back on inside, so to speak.

It transforms lives, starting with our own.

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Someone said to me recently, “This has been the Lentiest Lent I’ve ever had. I’ve been stripped of so much – social interaction, physical touch, even the Eucharist.”

All thanks to the Coronavirus.

While we’ve all found this to be a “Lenty Lent,” the inconvenience of social distancing is nothing compared to the pain some families are experiencing as their loved ones die in hospitals alone.

Families cannot even grieve in groups.

That pain is almost unfathomable.

Yet we can all empathize to some extent, because pain and the need for healing are part of being human.

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In the Gospel, Jesus kneels down to wash his disciples’ feet. At that time, such a gesture was considered normal.

People didn’t drive on well-paved roads like we do today. They often walked along dry and dusty roads, so it was common to catch a pebble or two in your sandal as you went.

When guests arrived at person’s home, then, their feet were covered with dust. Some may have had cuts and bruises.

But is Jesus washing his disciples’ feet simply because they’re dirty? Or is there a deeper meaning?

It’s the last night of his life on earth. Surely Jesus isn’t wasting time on pleasantries. Everything he does is on purpose.

This gesture of bathing bruised feet was intended to be a moment of healing for them, as it should be for us tonight, even if social distancing keeps us apart.

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Like the disciples, we’ve all walked along different paths in life, paths that are too often strewn with pebbles.

The Coronavirus is one example of a pebble caught in our sandal. It’s wounded us and scraped our feet. 

But what are the other pebbles caught in my sandal tonight? How have I been wounded?

Maybe I need a relationship mended. My health or my faith to be restored. My job to return. Grief to be lifted. A second chance.

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These are the cuts and bruises that Jesus wants to heal.

On this, his final night on earth, he kneels down to wash our feet. He acknowledges our wounds; he kisses and bathes them.

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But remember his words that follow: “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

We’ve all had a pebble or two caught in our sandal; we’re all wounded in different ways. Don’t pour salt into them; rather, cover them in mercy. 

How might I follow in the footsteps of Jesus and be an agent of healing for others?

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“This has been the Lentiest Lent I’ve ever had.” 

So many of us are approaching Easter with pebbles in our sandal. Sit down. Remove your sandals. Let the Lord wash your feet.

But when they’ve dried, do the same for others.

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In the Gospel, Jesus is six days away from his death.

How timely it is, then, that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus extended a dinner invitation to thank him for all he’s done in their lives.

Remember, it was only a short while ago that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

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But Mary, Martha, and Lazarus show their gratitude for Jesus in different ways.

Lazarus opens his home. Martha prepares and serves the meal. Mary spends all she has on a costly bottle of perfume, anointing Jesus’ feet with it.

Three different gestures with the same message: thank you.

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There are many different ways we can show our gratitude, as well. 

But how do we show our gratitude for the life of Jesus?

How do we show our gratitude for those working tirelessly to end the Coronavirus; for teachers who are trying their best to educate our children from home; for our jobs; for our families; for our homes; for the gift of life?

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Holy Week teaches us many things. But the first lesson on Monday morning is this: See how immensely blessed you are.

Make a list.

And give thanks.