{"id":2108,"date":"2015-03-29T13:49:40","date_gmt":"2015-03-29T18:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tomzampino\/?p=2108"},"modified":"2015-03-29T18:32:50","modified_gmt":"2015-03-29T23:32:50","slug":"from-false-accusers-to-recipients-of-unmerited-grace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tomzampino\/2015\/03\/from-false-accusers-to-recipients-of-unmerited-grace\/","title":{"rendered":"From False Accusers to Recipients of Unmerited Grace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/p>\n

And so today, as the season of Lent draws to a rapid close, we begin our journey through Holy Week.<\/p>\n

Yes, our<\/em> journey.<\/p>\n

A journey that can successfully transform us from being false accusers to the recipients of unmerited grace \u2013 if<\/em> we know the secret of how to unlock the door.<\/p>\n

For we are, today:<\/p>\n

The treacherous Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him;<\/p>\n

The impetuous Peter who denied Him three times;<\/p>\n

The accusatory Council of the Sanhedrin, which falsely convicted, bound, and handed Him over to Pilate;<\/p>\n

The unappeased crowd which shouted \u201cCrucify Him!,<\/em>\u201d refusing Pilate\u2019s cowardly entreaties to be released from his own predicament; and<\/p>\n

The mocking soldiers who stripped, crowned,\u00a0scourged, and executed Him.<\/p>\n

But fortunately, the story doesn\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n

No, it\u00a0merely begins there.<\/p>\n

For we are also, today:<\/p>\n

The sorrowful Peter who broke down and wept over his three-fold betrayal;<\/p>\n

The strong Cyrenian, Simon, who helped carry the cross;<\/p>\n

The convicted revolutionary who fully recognized the unjustly accused dying alongside him;<\/p>\n

The loving women who once ministered to Him, but who could now only look upon Him from a distance;<\/p>\n

The Roman centurion who finally understood exactly what had just happened in his presence; and<\/p>\n

The courageous Joseph of Arimathea, distinguished member of the Sanhedrin, who at great risk removed, anointed, and buried the one so crucified.<\/p>\n

We are also, today, the mortal players in\u00a0a great cosmic battle which began disastrously in\u00a0a Garden called Eden, but which was ultimately set to rights\u00a0in a Garden called Gethsemane.<\/p>\n

So what is the key to our successful journey this week?<\/p>\n

What is the secret to transformation?<\/p>\n

Humility.<\/p>\n

And as Pope Francis\u2019 Palm Sunday homily <\/a>\u00a0today made it clear: \u201cthere can be no humility without humiliation<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Francis observed that we\u00a0have been given the ultimate\u00a0example of humility \u2013 one to which we can, and should, now turn:<\/p>\n

The Son of God took on the \u201cform of a slave\u201d (cf. Phil 2:7). In the end, humility means service. It means making room for God by stripping oneself, \u201cemptying oneself,\u201d as Scripture says (v. 7). This is the greatest humiliation of all.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Contrast Francis\u2019 other words on the way of the world, the way rejected by Christ:<\/p>\n

The world proposes the way of vanity, pride, success . . . [t]he Evil One proposed this way to Jesus too, during his forty days in the desert. But Jesus immediately rejected it. With him, we too can overcome this temptation, not only at significant moments, but in daily life as well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And so, we come now to a time of choosing.<\/p>\n

That time is upon us.<\/p>\n

That time is today.<\/p>\n

May your Holy Week bring you joy, rest, and \u2013 most importantly \u2013 the humility and peace of Christ Himself.<\/p>\n

Peace<\/p>\n

Photo Image Credit Here<\/a> (Jes\u00fas Serna<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Procesi\u00f3n Domingo de Ramos, paso paseo de \u201cEl Espol\u00f3n,\u201d Burgos, Espa\u00f1a) via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And so today, as the season of Lent draws to a rapid close, we begin our journey through Holy Week. Yes, our journey. A journey that can successfully transform us from being false accusers to the recipients of unmerited grace \u2013 if we know the secret of how to unlock the door. For we are, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1976,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom False Accusers to Recipients of Unmerited Grace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"And so today, as the season of Lent draws to a rapid close, we begin our journey through Holy Week. Yes, our journey. 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