A reflection on Easter triduum 2017
Lent Lent had been largely uneventful for me, a marked change from last year when my works of service (organising food donation drive for the school, reconciliation service for the Catholic students etc.) brought forth the meaning of Lent to me in a more tangible way. This year, my initial attempts at taking part in community service projects somehow did not materialise. So it was with a rather "empty", but peaceful heart that I sat down at the pew on Thursday evening.
Holy Thursday This year was one of the rare times when I attended Maundy Thursday mass to mark the start of the Easter triduum. Mostly, I would be too exhausted from work and/or simply "not in the mood". During the mass, for some reason I found myself thinking about my own mortality, and was confronted with the idea of fear of the uncertainty about the end of my own life.
Good Friday Why did Jesus die? All the events leading up to His death on the cross - the betrayal in various forms by his disciples, the callousness of the chief priests, the inaction of Pilate. What is the significance of these events that culminated in his shameful death on the cross? All my sins carried by one man? How is this even possible? I think I have to understand these better in order to understand my faith better.
Bishop Barron provides an explanation:
Easter Sunday "Since God is at our beginning, He will also be at our end" (paraphrased "quote" from Fr Charlie during his homily). God brought us to life, He is always with us, till the end. There is a meaning to our lives after all, even though we know nothing about how we came to be, or what happens after our existence ends. From Genesis to the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus - what a long journey it was, for God to show us that He is our alpha and omega, our beginning and our end. "And life is worth the living, just because He lives."
The question remains - How do we live this Easter joy in a sustained manner throughout the rest of the liturgical year, and for that matter, our lives?
The faith of Chuck Noland Maybe the folks in charge of TV programme scheduling over at Mediacorp had some inkling of a subtle Christian message in the movie, so they chose to show Castaway on the evening of Holy Thursday. I was very much struck by what Tom Hanks' character said towards the end of the film -
"I had power over *nothing*. And that's when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... And I've lost her all over again. I'm so sad that I don't have Kelly. But I'm so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
Against his logic, Chuck hung on to a faith that dispelled his fears, a faith that simply told him to keep on going, in spite of the odds. It rescued him from his time of deep trial on the island, and sustains him in spite of the fact that he lost the very thing that gave him hope in the first place.
And we too, keep on going, even though we cannot see what lies ahead.
