Make this Holy Week all about YOU!

Image by Prawny from Pixabay

The Palm Sunday Gospel reading always gets me.

Every time the Collect has to say “Crucify Him” I get chocked up. This year was no different. In fact, I couldn’t even get out the words.

As a pious teenager, I refused to cry out “Crucify Him!” along with everyone else in Church, believing that I would not be among those calling for Jesus’ execution. However, as I get older, I realize that I not only would’ve been among those in the crowd; I probably would’ve suggested a good place to buy a quality hammer and nails.

As tradition would have it, I fell to my knees after hearing the words, “But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed His last.” I removed my glasses and wiped my eyes dry then stood and listened to the rest of the Gospel reading, hiding my tears.

The homily followed — and it was simple.

“Everything that Jesus went through, he did it for YOU,” Pastor reminded us all. “Yes, He came to save the world. However, he died just for YOU!

“Christ would have gone through everything we just read. He would’ve suffered and died on the Cross even if YOU were the only one His death would have given eternal salvation.”

God personally whispered those exact words into my ears while the Gospel was being read, moments before they were spoken from the pulpit to the Collect. That’s why I was crying.

God Almighty, the Great I AM, loved me so much that He took Flesh, suffered extreme humiliation, and brutal torture before being publicly executed, just so He could share His eternal kingdom with me, a sinner — and, He would do the same thing all-over again just for YOU.

So, be like Christ. Make this Holy Week all about YOU.

James is also the author of Corporation YOU: A Business Plan for the Soul, The Christmas Save and two children’s books: The Second Prince and Klaus: The Gift-giver to ALL!  

As a writer, James has been featured on The Inside Success Show, Bob Salter (CBS Radio),  Mike Siegel, Mancow, and more.  

Beyond writing, James worked with At-Risk youth in Southern California for over six years.  His contributions to the classroom — featured on local television and in the LA Daily News and the Los Angeles Times’ Burbank Leader — earned him the honors of “Teacher of the Year”.    James was also twice honored by a CASDA Scholar as the teacher who had the greatest influenced that student.   As an educator, James also appeared twice on America Live with Megyn Kelly.

Today, James lives in New York where he continues to teach — and write.   Besides his books, you can follow his musing on this blog Corporation You.

To contact James or book an interview, please contact Mark of Goldman/McCormick PR at (516) 639-0988or Mark@goldmanmccormick.com.

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The Crucifixion of Franklin Graham

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

 

If you compare my social media activity before the Coronavirus to after the virus hit, you would notice a sharp decline.

I’m calling and texting friends and family more.  If I want information, I’ll text a friend or relative in the field or I’ll watch a press conference on YouTube.   

The whole press conference!

That doesn’t mean I don’t go on any social media platforms.  

I do — just to see what’s trending.

This week: Franklin Graham was a major trend on Twitter.

As a Catholic Christian, I cringe every time I see a Christian leader in the forefront of news — because it’s usually not good, especially in the Faith I practice.

I clicked on the thread, read some of the comments, and watched the edited online clip.  

In short, Franklin Graham said that mankind has been hit by this pandemic because we, as a whole, have sinned; we have turned our back on God — and that got people angry!

Very, very angry!

Okay, God does not cause death and illness.  I wrote about this in a memorial piece about a dear friend.  God does, however, allow death and illness to come into our lives. 

It’s called God’s Permissive Will.

I’m not going to get into it too deeply, which is why I left the link.

In short, we are a fallen people; and the more we fall away from God, the more bad things happen to us, collectively.  On the other hand, we can individually be as good as Joseph in the Old Testament, and something bad can also happen to us.    

Stuff happens — to bad and good people.

A stray bullet.  A drunk driver.  Cancer.  A virus that leads to a pandemic.

At the time, we may feel terribly forsaken.

It’s tough to understand this kind of Permissive God.

But let’s examine what the people who disagree with Franklin Graham are not showing you.  Let’s examine why Franklin Graham was discussing the Coronavirus at this point and time in the first place.

In the complete interview, Franklin Graham, first spoke of his mobile field hospital in Central Park, supplied by his foundation Samaritan’s Purse to assist New York City’s fight in the COVID-19 epidemic.  

What I saw amazed me and filled my spirit with hope.

The Central Park field hospital has supplied New York with 68 extra beds, 10 extra ICU units, and a team of experienced doctors, nurses, and volunteers.   As of today, 34 beds are already full with five people in ICU.

Samaritan’s Purse is working with the Mount Sinai Health System which has multiple locations throughout the city.  The organization is caring for people regardless of their faith or their beliefs.

In the past, Samaritan’s Purse has sent medical teams to Haiti, Bangladesh, Iraq.   It has gone into Africa to combat Ebola.

That’s what Christians do.   

You don’t have to agree with everything Christians say.  Heck, we all don’t agree with everything we all say.

But, all Christians, regardless of our denomination,  have one thing in common. (Or at least we should.)   Christians, as believers in Christ’s love and grace, are a people of acts and good deeds.

For the majority of Christians throughout the world, this week is Holy Week.  

It starts off with the Jubilee of Palm Sunday and quickly turns dark as Our Lord is led to the cross on Good Friday, almost symbolic of the past four weeks in the United States.

Jesus didn’t get crucified because he did wonderful and miraculous things.  He didn’t get beat, whipped with 40 lashes, and nailed to a cross because he told people to love one another.

Jesus was crucified because of some of the tough things that he said. His words made some people uncomfortable — and all the good He accomplished was ignored.

He was crucified because some people of good will did not understand why He was present at that point in time in history.   He was crucified because He was trying to save people.   He was crucified because he was trying to turn people’s attention back onto God.

His words were twisted, used against Him, and He was publicly flogged and humiliated — much like what is happening right now to Franklin Graham.

The Good News is we know how this story always ends.

As we enter Holy Week, may be all come together and pray for a true Passover and that a true Pascha, a true Easter will soon follow.

 

James Henry is the author of Corporation YOU: A Business Plan for the Soul, and two children’s books The Second Prince  and Klaus: The Gift-giver to ALL!   For six years, James taught At-Risk kids in Los Angeles. Today, he lives in New York where he continues to teach and write.  To contact James or book an interview, please contact Mark of Goldman & McCormick PR at (516) 639-0988 or Mark@goldmanmccormick.com.

 

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