From Passion to Resurrection

From Passion to Resurrection

“The King of glory comes, the nation rejoices. Open the gates before Him, lift up your voices.”

We were singing this song on Palm Sunday as we entered the Holy Week, the most holy of weeks in the year. We joined the children of Jerusalem in honoring Jesus as the One who came in the name of the Lord. But after few days, our cheer became tear as we beheld our King wearing a crown not of gold but of thorns. Yes, we had remained with Jesus in the hour of His passion and death.

Washing the feet, a symbol of cleansing oneself of evil spirits. We, Placide community, did this in memory of Jesus. Imitating Jesus, Sr. Suman washed the feet of us all. The moment she washed and kissed our feet, we said nothing, but we all heard that Jesus was telling us from the bottom of our heart: “Hey, your superior is washing and kissing your feet, do you see me in her? Listen to her.”

  In that Holy Nig ht, the little Gethsemane Garden in our chapel had created the real atmosphere of the Passion Narrative. The loneliness and still of night was so frightening. The night of Christmas, the angel choir singing from Heaven, the shepherd and Maggi came to worship our Lord. But in this night, nobody was there with Him, even His disciples. And the night seemed to be so long.

Good Friday, the day we followed Jesus’ footprint to Calvary through the Station of the Cross. The sun and heat in Ho Chi Minh City never can compare with Jerusalem at 10 a.m. we did feel the suffering in His humanity. The divinity had hidden itself and Jesus seemed so utterly human and helpless. He suffered all this for our sins. Through the 7 last words of Jesus from the Cross, we wondered: “What kept Jesus on the Cross?” oh, there are two things that kept Him on the Cross. “His love of the Father and His love of us.” He loved His Father that He obeyed unto death. He loved us so much that He laid down His life for us.

And in that sorrowful of Passion and Death, out of the shadows comes invincible light, from the darkness comes the brightness of God’s glory. The Resurrection of Jesus is the victory of God over death that has given us the hope of eternal life. We all together sing with joy: “Alleluia the Lord is risen…” The great joy has covered our community, our chapel. The empty tomb, yes, the empty tomb. It invites us never to give up as we face our earthly trials, but to go beyond. We are children of Light. St.