« The hour has come when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners »
We are entering the great week, Holy week, for Christians. We remember the arrest, trial, passion, death of Jesus and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Is it possible to live gratitude when you are living something difficult ?
We all go through moments of consolation and desolation. We are in consolation when we feel dynamism, peace, confidence.
On the contrary, we live desolation when we are troubled, agitated, in darkness and when we feel laziness, fatigue, bitterness. We can be the cause of the states of desolation of our being through negligence or idleness, but these mood swings also happen without us being responsible.
Like seasons in nature, there exist also seasons of the soul. Should we regret this ? Should we be sorry for our desolation and changes of mood ? Certainly not ! For all seasons are useful : Summer is the time of vitality, visible growth and the gathering of fruits. Winter is the time of planting, taking root and germination. There there is work in depth which is nonetheless necessary !
During these times of desolation, the most powerful aspect of gratitude is revealed. What we need to believe is that EVERYTHING contributes to our growth, like the small seed in the earth during winter !
Sunday
Christ, who enters Jerusalem on a back of the little one of a female donkey, is acclaimed by the crowds, but he knows that he will die. In the Bible, another man is associated with a female donkey : Saul. Desolated at losing his donkeys, he goes to look for them… This leads him to meet the prophet Samuel, who is waiting for him to come to make him king… (Re-read this passage in the Bible, first Book of Samuel 9 : 13-17).
Activity : If I am in a situation of trial or anxiety, psychological (I have not been very well recently), spiritual (I feel I have been separated from God for a long time) or material (I do not have what I need to live as I would like to live), I recall 3 reasons for gratitude on this subject, which count for me at this moment and I note them in my notebook. It is an excellent exercise which helps us to hold firm until the time of consolation returns.
