Ending of Lent, start of the Triduum, Joy to All Nations and a note on future blogging

And so today (tonight rather) marks the end of the season of Lent.

Throughout the last 40 (ok 46) days Catholics and other Christians have taken various steps to attempt to come closer to God. In an emulation of Christ's 40 days fasting in the desert where he was tempted by Satan, we've all been called to give something up, or as the case may be to do more.

I for one chose to give up blogging except on Fridays and to endeavor to read the whole Bible. I give myself a D+. I did ok on the blog front though not perfect and I got through Numbers before skipping to the New Testament since I want to finish my reading with the same narrative I'll hear at mass Sunday.

Kelli limited her soda intake, one guy I read about consumed nothing but beer without getting drunk, others went on pilgrimages etc.

But now our time in the desert is over. Last Sunday we celebrated Christ's triumphant entrance into Jerusalem with the waving of palms and shouts of Hosanna.

Following Holy Monday (I don't really know what happens then), Holy Tuesday (when many dioceses celebrate the Chrism mass) and Holy Wednesday (traditionally the day Judas conspired with the Sanhedrin) -- we finally come to Holy Thursday which begins the Triduum.

The Triduum is the three days from Holy Thursday to Easter (keep in mind "days" in this context is evening to morning.)

During these days we consider within the context of real time what Christ went through for us. Beginning Palm Sunday we experience the joy of an exultant Christ, we then experience the betrayal of Judas and then the same crowds that had chanted "Hosanna." On Good Friday we recall his Passion and death. Saturday, until the vigil, we recall the loss, fear and even perhaps doubt felt by those who followed Christ at the time, tempered by the knowledge we have of what comes next.

Sorry for that long winded bit but it all leads to this.

Easter.

Some biblical scholars say it was probably April 5, 33 AD when Christ raised from the dead. His friends and family found only an empty tomb with an angel asking why do you look among the dead for one who is alive?

I know that Matt and Dungy are the main readers of this blog and so likely no one who cares about this sort of thing will read it, but I'm celebrating here so deal with it.

Prior to that day, before his death and resurrection, heaven was a theory. Sure it was there, but how could such sin-stained a people as us get in? We couldn't until God himself proclaimed great joy to the nations and came as a man, died as a man and then kicked death square in the jibblies.

The Bible says he was like us in all ways but sin. He laughed, he cried. He probably buried his father, he almost certainly worked for a time as a carpenter. He was, hungry, tired, hot, cold and thirsty.

Think about that kids, GOD HIMSELF, was hungry and thirsty. It's almost inconceivable.

The only thing crazier than humbling himself as a man would be what came next. First he taught, then he suffered greatly, was executed by his own people, and even after all that, saved us from certain death by defeating death itself.

Pardon my lack of explaining the theology here, I'm just excited it's Easter. We bummed the word, the eggs and the bunny from the pagans but that's not relevant to me. What happened and why we celebrate are what matter.

One thing I've heard an atheist (or maybe it was a pagan I really can't recall) say is this:

"How can a Christian believe something so crazy as that a God would become one of us, be beaten, humiliated and killed just to rise from the dead to save a people that throughout their own scripture are constantly sinning?" -- I paraphrased of course.

And they're right. It sounds nuts. But that's my God. He is the God of Abraham and Moses. He is the God of Noah and Solomon. He is the God of Peter and Paul, Father Nick and Father Don. So great is his love for us that to our weak ways it seems crazy.

Well I just want to say I'm happily insane then. I believe it all the way.
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The existence of something doesn't prove a divine will for it to exist, but I heard something else the other day I wanted to share.

I was listening to a Catholic radio station down here in Lexington, and the host was talking about the recently passed six-year anniversary of Cardinal Ratzinger's election to the papacy as Benedict XVI. He recalled watching the election coverage on TV when a camera caught a high ranking US Cardinal looking intense and very introspective.

When that cardinal came back to the states, a journalist asked him what he was thinking at that moment and here is a paraphrase of what he said.

At that moment he said he was looking out across the square of St. Peter with millions of people chanting and crying. He saw hundreds of cameras beaming the events to billions more. He then looked over toward one of Rome's hills with ruins visible and thought that right then, from the seat of a city who's emperors once ruled the known world, a man was being given a fisherman's ring.

He said he thought about the glory and splendor of Caesar and other Roman rulers and thought, "Where are your successors?" They are gone and dead and while the influence remains, they're just another part of history. But the successor of a fisherman that followed a carpenter was now commanding all this. After 2,000 years we're still going strong.

I just thought that was a nice thought.

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Ok so with Lent over I'm going to get back to blogging a little more often. I'll try to shy away from religion every so often but this is my main interest so it will happen. For example I'm thinking about a Good Friday blog tomorrow.

Anyway that's all for now as typing this took literally my whole lunch hour. Have a blessed Triduum and come back here for more tomorrow.