Set Apart

Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured…Isaiah 53:4

Happy Holy Week.  I LOVE this week.  It’s holy and sacred, which means “set apart”.  But as I type on the first day of the week I have to ask myself, what will I set it apart for?  How will it be different?  Jesus and his extravagant love already made it holy but how will I honor that?  As I’ve been preparing for this week I asked myself those questions and the Father sent some very simple ideas in response.  Today I share those with you and invite you to set apart this week, don’t let it slip by and be ordinary, invite Jesus to make it holy in a way only he and you can.

*Switch R’s!  This week go from RUSH to REST.  Nowhere in Scripture does it say, “Come rush with me!”  Jesus didn’t rush…he went about things in a purposeful, deliberate fashion.  He noticed things along the way and he often stopped to rest and pray.  This week, find some time to rest…with Jesus, not Netflix.

*Join Ignatius!  Who?  St. Ignatius of Loyola is known for his passion for imaginative prayer and Scripture reading.  Fr. Mark Toups of Ascension Presents has a great 10 minute imaginative prayer meditation about putting yourself in the Garden with Jesus.  Go to YouTube and look for Fr. Mark Toups, What Makes Holy Week Holy.  It’s a gift you want to give yourself!

*Get your Liturgy on!  Go to Mass on Holy Thursday…we’ve all got stuff to wash from our feet and our heart so imagine yourself at the last supper being tenderly cleansed and fed by Jesus. Be there on Friday, not to re-live the brutality but to  face the truth of of how much you are loved and how great the sacrifice that was made on your behalf. On Easter, celebrate not only Jesus’ resurrection but your own…what are the things he can help you “rise from” in your life…take those and offer them to him and share in his Glory!

*Give the Gifts!  This week shower someone with love for no particular reason. Allow the Father to wash away the guilt of sin you carry in your heart.  As Jesus fed us at the Last Supper, reach out and feed someone this week; a neighbor, a shelter or a food pantry. Easter brings the promise of new life, share that promise with someone who is struggling, pray for them, take them flowers, send a message…just reach out to offer hope and joy so they might see His light in their darkness.

One final thought this Holy Week comes compliments of a gentleman who shared the most powerful sermon he ever heard.  He told me during a Holy Week long ago the priest had the shortest, most heart changing sermon he’d ever heard and it has stuck with him for many, many Holy Week’s since.  He said the priest asked them to picture Jesus on the road to Calvary.  Imagine him after one of his falls and as he struggles to get up imagine him making eye contact with you.  As his eyes lock on yours, imagine him saying, “It’s ok, I’m doing this for you!”

A Seed To Plant:  Sit with the short sermon and the suggestions above and ask Jesus to lead you into a week that is truly “set apart”.​

Blessings on your day!