As I ponder Christianity, one of the things that struck me is how friendly it has become and dark it actually is.
This week, this week is a time of great darkness. At this point in the life of Jesus we witnessed some of the worst suffering a person can endured. Exhaustion, betrayal, physical pain and emotional turmoil, until finally a death in a most excruciating fashion. There is this forboding sense of loss; the despair, the anguish that are amplified in the hollow silence that lingers.
There is an urge to fast forward through all of this. To jump to that joyous occasion when we know He has triumphed over death, transforming a period into a semicolon. There is this rush to hide the eggs, bring out the chocolate, and be hugged by a giant fluffy bunny.
Yet, I pray you, resist that urge. Slow down, and suffer. Let the rawness of the Passion sink in. Suffer, because without pain, without all that is dark and ugly and depressing, the utter humanity of Christ, the fullness of the human experience is denied. Unlike Philadelphia, It is not always sunny in Christianity. But it is ok. It is ok to endure the despair, to suffer the silence, to abide in the void.
We may ask "why bad things happen to good people, " and jump ahead to how others have it so good. But take a moment and let it sink in that there was this one guy, really good guy all around, but boy, did he have it bad. Then, take that moment even a bit further and think of those who suffer. It could be you, it could be someone close to you, it could get an acquaintance. It doesn't change the fact that the most common thing we all experience is grief. Grief will visit with us, let it in.
Take a moment, do not in your urge to rush to celebrate, neglect those who find the darkness of this week almost too relatable. For theirs is the hour of greatest vulnerability just as Christ suffers through his. (I think the irony did not escape Christ that he of the chosen people spared long ago is now Chosen to die so that all other can be spared. That passover did not in fact passover Him.) So, let us suffer with and suffer through.
"Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.:
