THOUGHTS TO PRAY THROUGH IN HOLY WEEK

Adapted from retreat given by Fr Liam OCD: Did anything in particular stand out in the Retreat?

Yes. The sessions were profoundly thought-provoking. There are many that I'd like to share but for now, maybe just a couple of statements, and even out of context the Holy Spirit may touch souls through them…

** Christ on the gibbet is the poultice, gently and silently extracting poisons from my soul.

** On the Cross, and through gentleness and powerlessness, Jesus forces the devil to reveal himself. The shocking fury of his lie is revealed in all its horror and hate for Christ's love, present in all humanity. When we look at the  tortured Figure on the Cross, we see the depths of that hatred.

** On the tree, Christ names, neutralizes, cleanses all evil, in all of humanity, for all time . He holds the maximum voltage of all humanity's evil and rips apart the veil of lies and hiddenness that the devil uses to retain power over us and to utterly destroy souls.

** My flesh, in all my filth, becomes Christ's Flesh and Jesus shows me how to die praying. HE MAKES THE BRUTALITY OF DEATH INTO AN ACT OF PRAYER, OF ADORATION TO THE FATHER. GOD IS GLORIFIED IN CHRIST'S DEATH. DEATH BECOMES AN OBLATION WHERE LOVE IS POURED INTO ALL HATE, ALL LIES, ALL VIOLATIONS OF INNOCENCE, ALL MANIFESTED IN JESUS' BRUTALIZED NAKED BODY.

** His suffering is necessary to reveal the Truth and in Him, suffering becomes transformative. TO LIVE IN COMFORT, IN LIES, IN COMPROMISE CAN NEVER BE A TRANSFORMATIVE LIFE. ONLY IN “THE THICKET" OF SUFFERING IS OUR SOUL TRANSFORMED.  And there, we meet Him.  

**  THROUGH HIM, OUR SUFFERING IS TRANSFORMED INTO SACRAMENT. WE ARE UNITED IN HIM AND WITH HIM, WE PURCHASE SOULS FOR HIM. IN HIM, WE GIVE OUR ACT OF OBLATION TO OUR FATHER.