‘A life in a day’….this is a life in four days.
I remember a daughter saying to her dying mother,
‘I wish I could take the pain for you.’

The days of Christ’s passion are like that – he is saying it to us.
God, who does not need to suffer, becomes a human being to walk with us, so we do not need to suffer alone.

The passion reminds us of this – and of the human solidarity that John Donne translated by, ‘never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’ We walk with each other.

Holy Week has joy mixed with sorrow, like so much of our own lives. The Last Supper on Maundy Thursday is a moment of joy – of friends having a festive meal together. But the sorrow of impending parting is present… the last meal before one who is loved leaves for a far country. There is the joy for Jesus in sharing what is in his heart with the companions who have been with him for three years, and the sorrow of the suffering he knows is coming to them and to himself.

Holy Week is a time of facing fear – fear of an operation, combat, redundancy, a confrontation that cannot be avoided. Here there is lethargy too – the pain is so great that inactivity, sleep, become the only escape. There are tears of repentance after the shame of failing a person loved. There is unjust judgment and terrible physical pain and exhaustion.

Holy Week is also a time of compassion too, of the unexpected ‘angel’ who brings comfort, of the faithfulness of women, of friends who watch by a death bed.

And Holy Week is a door into life, the triumph of a victory won, of evil conquered – great or small. Easter pledges that from God comes joy – the power of goodness, love that overcomes hate, laughter and friendship. It is a moment of glorious reassurance – ‘all really is well’.

So much of this is our own experience. In celebrating Holy Week and Easter we can let this experience be transformed: for Jesus is with us in our daily life. He is in us; he has chosen to share our suffering and to sow the seeds of joy – and to challenge us to be him for others.