As we prepare to enter the sacred time of Holy Week, we look again at the significance of Christ in our lives. Though he was really in the form of God, Jesus came in the form of a slave. We have a saviour who was crushed for our iniquities, nailed to a cross as a convicted felon, and there endured the sense of abandonment. We have a saviour who was finally lifted up and exalted precisely because he emptied himself of his divine privileges. Unlike conquerors who triumph by putting down their opponents, Jesus was raised up because he himself was first willing to be put down. We have a saviour who first offered himself for us and then continues to offer himself to us as an example to follow. As he was willing to empty himself for our sake, so we must to be willing to empty ourselves for the sake of others.
The best way to enter Holy Week with Jesus is in the company of those with whom he has identified himself: the poor and the broken; the humiliated and the marginalised; those who suffer the abuse of others; those who never use rank to force their will. If we are to be saved, we must go where salvation takes place: in our streets and in our homes where violence rages; in the dark corners of life where despair holds sway; wherever the innocent are abused or the needy are neglected; wherever there is misunderstanding or fear or jealousy. We must go wherever Christ empties himself for our sake.
© Dianne Bergant CSA, https://www.liturgyhelp.com/calendar/date/2026Mar29/0/RefDiBer