Palm Sunday
It’s Palm Sunday. That means readings in weird places at Mass, long Gospels, and a sudden realization that Lent is almost over. Easter is around the corner and, while ordinary time is still some weeks away (Easter in the Church is a SEASON…not a single Sunday), life returns to normal, more or less.
It also means that all the things we did during Lent – the fasting, giving things up, hopefully a focus on prayer, and maybe finding ways to perform almsgiving – they will probably come to an end as well; some appropriately so, others not so much. Should we ever really give up a recently expanded prayer life? Or abandon a newly acquired habit of helping those around us?
I know there’s a week left to enjoy the fruits of our spiritual efforts, and we still have the Triduum (the brief liturgical season from the celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday) rich with opportunity for self-reflection, but what comes after that? We are leaving the safety of Lent and its spiritual observations. It sounds like a silly question, but are we prepared for ordinary time?
Maybe the first week of the Easter season, we’ll still be on fire for the Lord and the strength we built during Lent will carry us along with little difficulty. But what happens when that first big test is looming and you need extra study time? Or when that extra practice pops up before a championship game or opening night of a school play? How about when your friends want to get together more often as the weather grows warmer? How likely are you to keep giving time to God when you need it (or want it) for yourself and what is going on in your life?
Each year something new stands out to me in the Passion readings. This year, it is the conduct of Christ’s closest friends at the time of His arrest. When the going got tough, almost all of them faded away. And this is why we must prepare for AFTER Easter. When the going gets tough, we look out for ourselves. But much like the apostles, we don’t do such a hot job…because we are running away from Christ, the best person to help us through life and all its peaks and valleys…all its doldrums.
As you journey through this week and continue to prepare for Christ at the resurrection, take a few minutes to prepare for normal life as you did for Lent. Ordinary time is way longer and way more…well…ordinary. Without a plan, you don’t just miss out on a chance to grow in communion with Jesus, you could lose your way.