The Power of Holding Hands

By Rabbi Harold Kushner 

I was sitting on a beach one summer day, watching two children, a boy and a girl, playing in the sand.  They were hard at work building an elaborate sandcastle by the water’s edge, with gates and towers and moats and internal passages.  Just when they had nearly finished their project, a big wave came along and knocked it down, reducing it to a heap of wet sand.  I expected the children to burst into tears, devastated by what had happened to all their hard work.  But they surprised me.  Instead, they ran up the shore away from the water, laughing and holding hands, and sat down to build another castle.  I realized that they had taught me an important lesson.  All the things in our lives, all the complicated structures we spent so much time and energy creating, are built on sand.  Only our relationships to other people endure.  Sooner or later, the wave will come along and knock down what we have worked so hard to build up.  When that happens, only the person who has somebody’s hand to hold will be able to laugh.

Holy Week Reflection

By FR. Jerry Orbos, SVD  

HOLY WEEK IS NOT FOR GOD'S SAKE. HE DOESN'T NEED IT. IT IS FOR US! 
  
Just imagine you only have one week left to live, and you know it. What do you do? Some might say, "I guess I'd want to know how God would want me to live it."  Fortunately, we do know…

Holy Week, the last week of Jesus' life punctuated by betrayal, violence, surrender, death and victory! A perfect culmination of a well spent life exclusively for others!  A categorical definition of Life, humanness and holiness! It is a challenge for every one of us to be really human in the midst of terrible insults, violence, heinous crimes- a culture of death. Each word, act and rite of the Holy Week points to the enormity of God's love for us. We remember and share in God's passion for us. But they also speak of the God who interrupts our lives in ways which challenge and confront to become a more fervent individual and parish afire with love, belongingness.

        The Holy Week speaks of the truth that God: 
             has come to us to save us,
             has taken on our ways,
             has spoken our language,
             has made our human circumstances a tool of saving power.
   
        The liturgies of this week speak in word and symbol of great truths of our faith…
             giving is not absurd,
             love is victorious,
             all we do or say has a new and splendid meaning,
             that above and beyond and through our pain and confusion, life is gloriously affirmed. 

           
        Holy Week is not a mere remembrance of the passion and death and resurrection of Jesus.  It is an actual reality.  What we celebrate in each liturgy this week is our entrance HERE AND NOW into the newness of life that is ours through our union with the risen Lord.

        Holy Week is about life.  It means life is for giving.  It means that if you love enough, if you care enough, then you have to show it.

       The change from suffering to glory,
              from death to life,
              from darkness to light,
              from sin to grace,
              from hatred to love,
              from shame to glory.
              from individualism to altruism
              from separation to unity..
              from indifference to solidarity

       It is the change we celebrate at EVERY Eucharist, but ESPECIALLY during the events of Holy Week. May our full participation in the Holy Week celebrations create a sense of belongingness in our faith community and enable us to grow in solidarity with one another!
     

Below is the acronym H-O-L-Y W-E-E-K to help us make this week not just an ordinary week but a truly meaningful and a holy week.

H — alt! Stop for a while, or at least slow down. Take time to rest and relax. Your body  needs rest, so find time to be still. Go away, disappear. Rest a while.

O – ff with your worldly pursuits and concerns. Turn off your cellular phone if you have to, so that you can focus on your spiritual life this week. Forget quotas, forget deadlines and forget performance. Just be. Don't let the world and its cares disturb the tranquility of your mind and soul this week. Let the world go by, and let the Lord take care of everything for once. Surprise yourself. Rediscover your inner strengths and simple joys. OFF to the world. ON to your heart. ON to your God.

L – isten. If you are in the Off or Silent mode, then you can really listen, pray and meditate. Take time to listen to God and tell him what's happening with your life.
Allow the Father to wrap His loving arms around your shoulders once again and just listen. Listen also to your own inner self, not just to your day-to-day wants and needs. Is there something you are missing in your life? Is there something more you need to do in your life?

Y – ield to God. Let go of your grip on your own life. Be on the lookout for His road signs as you travel on. Listen to His instructions, and you will find your way. Better still; let Him do the navigating and the driving.

W – arm up your relationships. Time to allow your loved ones feel that warm-and-sunny-spring you, not the cold-and-cloudy-winter you. Reach out to the people you have taken for granted or left out altogether. Time to call a friend and use your lifeline, or ask your audience – for an apology, for help, for suggestions. Call, teat, write, smile and hug. Use anything that will help you repair, restore and revitalize your relationships.

E – rase the burdens of guilt and sin with a good, honest and humble confession. Heed God's call: "Come back to me, with all your heart. Don't let sin keep us apart. Long have I waited for your coming home to me." In response to God's love, may we all say to God, especially this week: "Create a clean heart in me; 0 God. Give back to me the joy of your salvation." Time also to erase hurts, resentments, anger and ill feelings. Forgive people who hurt you, and ask for forgiveness from people you have hurt, cheated, used or abused in any way.

E – xpress your love. Whatever you do, especially this week, like praying, fasting, works of penance and deeds of charity, let them all be expressions of your love and gratitude to God. Let them be done not out of fear, or out of obligation.

K – neel down. In humility, kneel down in prayer before God and thank Him for suffering so much. For dying on the cross and for rising again for our salvation. Somebody died for you and me. Let us not allow this week to pass without personally thanking Him.
Let this be a time for all of us to kneel down before one another in humility: parents before their children whom they have neglected; children before their parents whom they have hurt; politicians and government officials before the people whom they have cheated etc., etc.