Scripture Scribbles: April 13, 2025

the Gospel

Luke 19:28-40

Jesus proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany
at the place called the Mount of Olives,
he sent two of his disciples.
He said, "Go into the village opposite you,
and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered
on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
And if anyone should ask you,
'Why are you untying it?'
you will answer,
'The Master has need of it.'"
So those who had been sent went off
and found everything just as he had told them.
And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,
"Why are you untying this colt?"
They answered,
"The Master has need of it."
So they brought it to Jesus,
threw their cloaks over the colt,
and helped Jesus to mount.
As he rode along,
the people were spreading their cloaks on the road;
and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of his disciples
began to praise God aloud with joy
for all the mighty deeds they had seen.
They proclaimed:
"Blessed is the king who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest."
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
"Teacher, rebuke your disciples."
He said in reply,
"I tell you, if they keep silent,
the stones will cry out!"

the scribble

We have arrived. Holy Week. A week of contemplation as the greatest love story unfolds and spirals. We begin Mass with Jesus entering Jerusalem and everyone praising him as the Messiah. Quickly turning sour, the Pharisees influence the people and we encounter Jesus’ Passion. We know the ending and it grieves us and then gives us Hope. 

This season of Lent has shown me a particularly intense lens on suffering. Not just my own suffering, but the witness of other people’s sufferings. My heart ached as I went to two funerals in a week. The news of multiple friends whose families were ill for months on end while other families await a miracle to heal very sick children rattled my being. Cancer, surgeries with a long recovery, National tragedies, natural disasters, uncertainty, and the list goes on of our human suffering. I asked myself as I soaked in these heartbreaking realities, do I suffer well? Does anyone?

This week, immerse yourself into the suffering with Jesus - the One who suffers well. If you are dealing with a difficult season, unite your suffering with His. Hear his pain as he’s flogged, beaten, and crucified; and know He is crying out  about your pain. See His torture and know He thought of the torture you endure. Watch others slander Him and mock Him. Feel His heart beating in His loneliness and abandonment as he aches for you.

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,” who glorifies all suffering, who unites us to Him, who brings Peace by dying with us, dying for us. May this Holy Week call you to deeper reliance on Him. May He suffer well within you. 

Today’s devotion was written by Diana Giard