Be grateful for the gift of redemption.

We are experiencing Holy Week or Holy Week. Yesterday’s memory of the Lord Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, when a cheering crowd with palms in their hands shouted: “Hosanna!” and greeted Jesus with enthusiasm. But this crowd soon changed their minds, and in Pilate’s court later cried, “Death, crucify him!”

We also change our thinking quickly. Jesus said: “No one has greater love than the one who lays down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13), and Jesus also lays down his life for his enemies. Our sins, weaknesses, and imperfections led Jesus to the act of redeeming humanity. For this, we should thank Jesus. When it is so self-evident that we can say thank you for a rendered service, it should be all the more true for our eternal salvation. The actions of Mary – Lazarus’ sister, when she anointed Jesus’ feet, should lead us to thank Jesus within ourselves. We have much to be thankful for. We know our weaknesses, mistakes, our mistakes, and falls. Let us kneel at the feet of Jesus and instead of the precious ointment that Mary used, let’s lay at the feet of Jesus our goodwill that we want to change our life. At the same time, let’s thank Jesus that he decided to do such a painful and important act for us, freely and willingly giving himself to the torturers only to erase our sins. Apologizing and giving thanks in this season of Lent is so honorable and necessary for each of us. Whoever has shown us friendly service in our daily life, whoever has helped us in need, we are grateful to him, and therefore we thank him as best we can. We realize that we humans are weak and often unstable. That is why we should thank and ask all the more. 

We can also be reminded of this idea by the comparison of the preacher Johann Tauler, who vividly points out what human errors can be used for A horse makes dung in the stable, and although it is clogging dirt, it has to be led with great effort to the field, where it grows from the fertilized earth grain. Believe me, it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the manure. Well, your dung is the shortcomings that you can neither remove nor postpone – so with the effort, you bring them to the field of God’s will in humility and meekness. Undoubtedly, a noble harvest will emerge from it.

This week, our place before the cross is on our knees… No one needs to be ashamed of this gesture, on the contrary, the more we love, the more this gesture means salvation and reward for us. We must not become a crowd that shouts, “Hosanna!” and immediately, “Death, crucify him!” Our effort must be to consciously and voluntarily walk towards our goal: Christ, and in this Lenten season thank him like Mary, sister of Lazarus.