Jesus is one of my favorite Spiritual Teachers. The stories of His Life, Death and Resurrection offer me lessons about human behavior that I find to be both insightful and inspiring.
Last week, I joined with many other Christians in celebrating Holy Week. (That is the week before Easter that commemorates the Passion and Death of Christ.) Knowing that Easter and some of its symbols are rooted in the ancient celebrations of the Spring Equinox, I found myself asking a personal question about what makes Holy Week so meaningful to me, and what does it offer that cannot be found in the secular celebrations of Spring.
Managing our human nature and learning to “act, not react” is never easy. We all seem to have a “dark side” that causes us do almost anything to justify and defend our self centered perspective, and it is in managing this “dark side” that I turn to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ.
During Holy Week, the story of Christ’s Crucifixion is read to remind us of the fear, judgement, and betrayal that led to Christ’s Death of the Cross. On the surface we are given a horrifying scene and yet I find that the response that Jesus gives,“ Forgive them, for they know not what they do,” exemplifies self empowerment and self control, even in His darkest hour. Absent of all blame and self pity, Jesus took personal responsibility to choose words and attitudes that reflected LOVE and Forgiveness rather than Hate and Blame. He lived the reality of His teachings, and acted on His belief in the Power of LOVE. (LOVE meaning the kind of LOVE that we refer to when we say “God is LOVE.) He exemplified that we do not need to act like a victim when we are unjustly treated, but rather we can choose to respond with Divine LOVE, a LOVE that always offers FORGIVENESS.
And so, as I explore my own journey of living life in a more Loving and fulfilling way, I find Holy week and Easter to be a powerful reminder of the importance of FORGIVENESS. For me, the words and example that Christ spoke from the Cross, gives testimony to the origin of FORGIVENESS, and teach us that a forgiving heart has nothing to do with the other person’s actions, attitude or behavior, but rather it is an “inside job” that comes from our own connection with the Source of Light, LOVE or whatever you want to call God. In other words, FORGIVENESS comes from our desire to prioritize our connection with God/LOVE over and above our reaction to the behavior of others.
And so as we celebrate the Easter Season, I am grateful for Christ’s lessons on FORGIVENESS. I pray that I, and the rest of the world, will be inspired to learn from His example, and consciously choose Love and Forgiveness as a response to those who have caused us pain.
Happy Spring, Happy Easter and Happy Season of Forgiveness!!!