This coming Sunday is Passion Sunday (because we read the Passion of Jesus) and is also known as Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of Holy Week, the holiest religious week in the Christian calendar.
Let us enter into this week with truly reflective hearts. If at all possible, let us put aside meaningless entertainment in favour of prayer.
This year, the thought occurs to me more than ever that the Head and the Body are not separated. Jesus suffers with you and you suffer with Jesus, or at least Jesus invites you to be aware of this reality and He invites you to consciously suffer with Him. The type of suffering that we ought to ponder is the suffering of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who stayed close to Jesus, and suffered as only a mother could suffer when she sees her son suffer.
The Church is suffering. Big time. Has for a while. We might ponder that the Head is suffering because the Body is suffering. We might ponder that Jesus is suffering with us, and that we are suffering with Him. This is a great mystery.
Whatever your particular sufferings are, Jesus is there suffering with you. This week especially, let us enter into the suffering of Christ. Maybe it will seem like a long week. Maybe we are afraid of that. Be not afraid. If we suffer with Him we will rejoice with Him! Courage! Be not afraid! Forward! March! Let us also go up to Jerusalem!