Holy Week officially started this Sunday with the glorious palm branch entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and will end with the passion, death and then resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday. Leading up to Holy Week, I felt called to focus on two things. The words Holy and Weak. No, that was not a typo. I do mean weak, not week.
Let’s look a little closer at these two words:
Holy.
Holy means having a spiritually pure quality. Saintly; godly; pious; devout. Jesus, the son of God, is of course holy. But we are called to be holy too! (cf.1 Peter 1:16) Being holy- striving to become a saint- is NOT easy! It is very difficult, some might even say nearly impossible. This leads right into the next word:
Weak.
We are weak. We struggle with temptation. We try to do the right thing and we fail. We get worn down in the spiritual battle and don’t seem to get any closer in achieving holiness….that is if we try to do it all ourselves.
If we think we can achieve holiness all on our own, then we need to think again. Actually pray, not think. Pray and ask the Lord for help. Something like this, “Help!! I need help! I can’t do this!” Acknowledging our weakness and putting our trust in the strength of God will definitely help us to grow in holiness. It means letting go. Stop trying to be in control. And humbling ourselves by putting our faith in our Redeemer who came to deliver us. These are great Holy Week challenges.
St. Paul writes of this concept of weakness and the holy power of God:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)
And this prayer from today’s Prayer for the Morning in my Magnificat Magazine beautifully sums up this Holy. Weak. meditation:
“Almighty and merciful God, your Son took flesh in human weakness to deliver the weak. By the mystery of his Death and Resurrection, protect us against the forces of sin and death against which our own strength cannot prevail, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Have a blessed Holy Week everyone!