Inspired by Scholastica

After having bursitis for three months, I now know what real pain is. In the past I would have a little ache here, a little twinge there, but never consistent, long-term pain. I went to a chiropractor, a massage therapist, an orthopedic doctor, a physical therapist, but nothing helped. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and I became very discouraged. How do other people cope with chronic pain? I began to feel more empathy for those who suffer for years without relief. Then one day the pain went from a level 8 to about a 6, and I began to have hope. As I continued to do my physical therapy and exercises, I could see improvement. I began to walk a little more easily. I thanked God and all the people who were praying for me. I felt a little more energy and more a part of the human race. The sun shone more brightly and I no longer sat on the "pity pot." Previously, I had taken good health for granted and now I have to work for it. I'm not pain-free yet, but ...

  I love the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after the Resurrection. They are downcast as they meet a stranger along the way. He asks them what they are discussing and they tell him about Jesus' horrible death three days before and rumors about his rising from the dead. The stranger is an excellent teacher as he draws from them their knowledge about what has happened. He is also a good counselor who knows that they need to talk about their feelings and reactions to the events. Then he explained to them the meaning of the disturbing things they had witnessed. When he pretends to continue his journey, they urge him to stay with them for the night. While they are eating, the stranger takes a loaf of bread and breaks it in half. Suddenly they recognize Jesus and are amazed that they were so slow to understand who he was. "Were not our hearts burning within us as we walked with him?" We too are often unaware of Jesus among us. He wants us to ponder our...

Those who discovered the empty tomb on that first Easter morning were flabbergasted. When Jesus was crucified on Friday, all his followers' hopes and dreams were crushed. He had worked so many miracles, but he died such a ignominious death in the end. Yet to find the stone rolled back and the burial garments folded in the tomb was astounding. Did someone steal the body? Surely not with soldiers guarding. Then Mary Magdalene goes to the garden, overcome with grief, and mistakes Jesus for the gardener. Only when Jesus says her name does she recognize him. The apostles thought she was hallucinating and didn't believe her until Jesus appeared to them. What a revelation! What a victory! Resurrection The tomb opened and lightning blazed forth, shaking the earth with a rush of wind. The guards, blinded by the brilliance, covered their faces, trembling in fear. How would they explain the empty tomb, the discarded wrappings? Who was this man that trampled death...

Next week we will commemorate Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday. The Scripture readings provide us with the story of Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection. They help us to remember the horrendous suffering Jesus' endured for our sake, then end with his glorious victory over death. Father Ron Rolheiser's book called Sacred Fire  gave me a whole new understanding of Jesus' passion. Rolheiser understands the passion as Jesus giving his death away. In the previous 33 years Jesus gave his life away, healing, preaching, teaching, raising from the dead. After his arrest he is passive, allowing others to do things to him and for him.The way he faced his death by allowing soldiers to mock him, crown him with thorns, make him carry a cross, nail him to the cross, was showing us his "character," his final gift to us. By enduring all this with a peaceful, loving demeanor he was showing us how to face the end of our lives. When blood and water poured out from Je...