Thoughts on devisiveness...

I had posted my thoughts on devisiveness and pride from my point of view on Protestant Christianity on Catholic Answers forums a while back. It got very few replies so either people thought I was a fool or it made them think and/or planted seeds of Truth. I pray it was the latter. This post was made on Holy Saturday.

I want to share this with you all, and please give me your thoughts on the matter!

Yesterday at three o'clock in the afternoon the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob died for us....

Last night at my Maronite parish, there was a special service for the Great Friday of the Crucifixion. It was probably the most powerful and moving thing that I have ever witnessed in my 18 years of life.

They had a burial shroud set up underneath the crucifix where people laid flowers before it started. And then after they read through the Gospels, and Father gave his homily, Christ was taken down from the Cross, placed on the shroud. I helped to process around the church three times with it, and then we held it up while people walked through it. We then set it back down and then everyone came forward and kissed the feet of Christ. As I knelt down to kiss His foot, I almost bursted into tears.

We chanted a few songs in Arabic, one of them being 'Wa Habibi' which the lyrics are translated as:

Quote:

My Love, My Love What has befallen you? Who saw you and grieved for you, You who are righteous? My Love, what is the sin of our times and our children? These wounds have no cure.

After I came home, I watched The Passion of Christ as I do every Good Friday now. However, while I was watching the re-enactment of what Our Lord went through, it really made me think. I heard them accuse Christ of blaspheming by saying that "He says he's the Bread of Life and that if we don't eat his flesh and drink his blood we won't have eternal life!"

That line struck me hard. But what I really thought about and contemplated, was why would Christ go through all of that for us and then "abandon His followers?" Why would the God of the UNIVERSE take on flesh, and willingly die for you and me, if only then to just leave them without a guide, someone to help them until He comes again in glory? Watching that movie again made me so thankful that God did such a thing and made me feel so unworthy as a human that He had do go through such things.

It also re-affirmed in my heart that Christ would never leave us, and He left us a real, physical Church that will stand until He comes again and He gives us His REAL Body and Blood at every Liturgy.

After witnessing what Our Lord probably went through, I cannot and WILL not accept the modern (past 500 years) idea that He left us alone until some men decided that Christ was wrong, and wanted to redefine what He said and taught. Albeit they did not directly say such things, but by saying the Church He started was wrong, they were saying He was.

This is my reflection on the Passion of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. You can take it or leave it. I for one can never reject Christ, by rejecting His Church. It cost Him too much...


PS, a video I found that has 'Wa Habibi' along with scenes from The Passion.