Faithfulness

Lent has come to an end and we have entered the shortest liturgical time of the year – the Easter Triduum. During these weeks we met various biblical characters and saw how in them we can also see ourselves. However, all these characters all had their eyes fixed on one person – Jesus Christ, nailed to a Cross. The Cross is the magnet which draws all those characters to it, and it also drew us, as we journeyed through Lent. Jesus himself told us that when he is lifted from the earth, he will draw all men to himself. He has attracted the characters who were protagonists in the past weeks, and today he is seeking to attract us as well.

The Crucified Jesus is a scandal to the Jews and to Gentiles, foolishness, but to the believer it is the throne of graces, the means by which our salvation is sealed. During this journey we have repeatedly mentioned the difficulties we encounter in our daily lives, as well as the efforts we make to not give up. In the first week of Lent we talked about how important it is not to stop journeying; how even in the most difficult moments, we should keep on walking even if though it may feel that it our feet which are carrying us.

However, we all go through moments of darkness and discouragement, moments in which we see only walls and feel emptiness. The Crucified Christ is the one who faithfully did what no human could every accomplish. It was only the Son of God who was made man who could reconcile us back with God; who was the perfect atonement for Adam and Eve’s sin. Jesus on the Cross is the one who took upon himself all our sickness and sorrow. The moments of darkness, emptiness and sadness during which we feel most alone, are not really just our moments; they are moments He has already endured and carried, when He gave up His life for our salvation and that of the whole world.

Our faithfulness is often weakened because we allow ourselves to follow the shimmering trends of the world. Jesus nailed to the Cross, with his hands and feet bound, is the one who makes up for all our shortcomings, the one who turns our ‘no’ into a great ‘yes’ to God the Father and as a result obtains our Salvation.

At the end of this journey, let us also place ourselves with those characters we have mentioned in the past weeks and with them also fix our gaze on Jesus on the Cross – in whom we do not see an end, but the beginning of new life and hope; the beginning of our life as people redeemed by virtue of His blood.

During these blessed days let us also ask the Crucified Christ to teach us faithfulness, faithfulness in our vocation, in our relationships, in our work and above all, faithfulness to him. Thank you, Lord, for drawing us to you every year as you have drawn so many characters during your life on Earth. May we, like them, do not remain indifferent to you, but be willing – faithfully – to walk with you all the way and even climb with you the hill of Calvary, firm in the belief that the Cross is not the last word as the last word is spoken by you in your glorious Resurrection.