Today Good Friday is a sacred day for Christians all over the world. In a world at war at the moment, there is a lot of sadness and uncertainty out there. There is a sadness too in all our lives. Sometimes it can weigh heavy on us. The message of today Good Friday, is that Jesus holds all of us in our brokenness. Every one of us is held in love today
My Videos🎥
A number of videos for this Holy Week – ‘Easter Buckets of Hope’
Another Holy Week Video called ‘The Awfulness of Good Friday v The hope of Easeter’
This video below is simply called ‘Easter made simple in my garden’
If you would like to see a selection of my other videos on YouTube you are welcome to have a look at some of them here: https://www.youtube.com/@JamesMcSweeneyFr/videos
Spiritual Thought For The Week
Sunday Homily – Palm Sunday and a week of contrast
We have just celebrated Palm Sunday and it marks the journey through Holy Week. The weeks have gone by so quickly and Easter is now upon us. At every church palm branches are given out and blessed today. There is a lovely invitation and tradition of taking the palm home and placing it somewhere in your home for divine protection. Often it is placed up on a picture in the kitchen or over a clock or somewhere not in the way but still quietly present.
The story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem and the waving of palm branches is one that stands out. It was a joyous occasion. There was a great sense of hope. People sensed and felt that Jesus was the one who could free them from Roman rule. They called him the Messiah. There was excitement but it all came crashing down a few days later on Good Friday.
Excitement had turned to disappointment. The crowds were influenced by other loud voices. Fear set in. Darkness set in. The joy of Palm Sunday did not last long. It is the same in our lives. Often when everything is going well, life can change so quickly. Sometimes what we hoped might happen didn’t happen. What we prayed for never came to be. Others may have let us down. Life may have let us down. God may have let us down.
This is the story of our journey through Holy Week. It is not some historical story way in the past. It still has relevance today. The story of Holy Week touches all our stories. I hope your journey through Holy Week is good for you. I hope you get a sense that you are not on your own. I hope that the light and hope that this coming week can offer will be yours. I hope and pray that you find healing in whatever brokenness you may be experiencing. We journey together through this sacred week.
