In the Footsteps of Christ
In the Footsteps of Christ
Throughout Holy Week, the Church concentrates all her thought and emotions on the Lord Jesus Christ, following His steps and His words during this final week, with all her contemplations revolving around the events of those days.
It is Sunday: He enters Jerusalem as a King, so we open our hearts to Him that He may reign over them. He cleanses the Temple and drives out the merchants, and we remember our need to cleanse our hearts and to cast out everything that contradicts the holiness of the Temple of God, which is we ourselves.
Christ goes to Bethany to rest there, in the house of Mary and Martha, so we prepare ourselves to be a place where the Lord may find rest, whether through contemplation or through service.
Thus we follow Christ: when He rebukes the scribes, the Pharisees, and the priests, and when He curses the fig tree. We also follow Him when He sits with His disciples, speaks with them, washes their feet, and offers them the great Mystery of Holy Communion.
May we prepare for this day with repentance and purity of heart, so that the Lord may wash us, cleanse us, and grant us communion in the Holy Body and the Precious Blood…
And in remembrance of the betrayal of Judas and his deceitful kiss, the Church forbids kissing (the kiss of peace) from the Eve of Wednesday until the Feast of the Resurrection…
The Church follows all the events: the prayer in the garden, the arrest of the Lord, the trials, the scourging, and the crucifixion…
With spiritual contemplations, hymns, readings, and sacred remembrances.
He who does not benefit spiritually during Holy Week is undoubtedly a hard-hearted person, far from the Spirit.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – Seventh Year (Issue Sixteen), 23-4-1976.
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