Holy Week

Holy Week calls us into a time of reflection, a deep and solemn moment of self-examination. While introspection is something we should engage in year-round, this time of year, especially between Palm Sunday and Easter, offers us an opportunity to pause and meditate on the significance of the resurrection, a profound miracle, a symbol of new beginnings. We often think of New Year’s as the time to set resolutions, to seek self-improvement, but no greater moment than the week remembers Christ’s Passion to contemplate what we can do to be better, both for ourselves and for those around us.

For me, Easter holds a quiet sadness. It carries the weight of personal loss, as I reflect on the passing of two important people in my life, both of whom died during this sacred season. In some ways, I suppose it makes sense, perhaps it was even fitting, that their deaths occurred during Holy week that centers so deeply around the themes of death and resurrection. For in Christ’s Passion, we are reminded that death is but a transition, a passage from one state to the next. And what better time to contemplate this reality than during a week that commemorates Christ’s death and the promise of eternal life through His resurrection?

In 1984, I had the unique privilege of attending the Oberammergau Passion Play. This five-hour reenactment of the final week of Jesus’ life is performed every ten years in the small Bavarian village of Oberammergau. The play, which spans Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, His crucifixion, and His resurrection, has been a tradition since 1634. It all began after the villagers vowed to perform the play in gratitude for being spared from the devastating bubonic plague. The out-of-cycle 1984 performance marked the 350th anniversary of the play, a significant milestone that made the production particularly memorable.

As the village prepares for its next performance in 2030, the entire town becomes absorbed in the enormity of the event, a living tribute to faith, sacrifice, and resurrection. The experience of witnessing the Passion Play in such a small, tightly-knit community was a powerful reminder of the enduring impact of Christ’s final days on Earth, and of the way in which this week calls each of us to reflect on our own lives, our losses, and the promise of hope in the face of death.

Whatever your plans are for this week, I hope they include an abundance of love for family, friends, and those less fortunate and a reminder that we have a short time here in the physical world to make a difference.

Blessings to you from Waffle and Me.