Reflection Week

Last week was Reflection Week in the Roman Catholic Church and schools actually closed for this holiday. It was created for a very good purpose, to give people a chance to reflect over their lives before Easter. A very good idea in my opinion.

But in reality, nothing is different. In fact, the pace of life increases instead of having a spirit of solemn contemplation. Young people hang around town in groups. The streets swarm with a harried crowd racing from store to store to find their Easter baskets and "palm branches." People are wildly beating rugs and feriously washing windows in preparation for their great "Wielkanoc" (Easter). All the town flocks to the market to buy new curtains and rugs for their newly cleaned houses. Actually, the whole country is in a frenzy to make sure that they are following their age-old traditions surrounding Easter.

The church is busier than usual, it is true. Many stop for a few minutes of reflection on their way to town. But are these people reflecting on the true conditions of their heart? As they deprive themselves of something dear to them during their "Great Fast", are they comprehending the true meaning of what they are doing? As they carry their branches to church on Palm Sunday, do they really think about Jesus coming to the earth as King for them personally? As they carry their baskets to church to be blessed by the priest for their Easter breakfast, are they contemplating the true meaning of the bread, the egg, and the meat that they carried within?

Then I look at my own heart? How many times am I just doing what I'm doing because I feel obligated? How many times is my heart far away from my actions? How many times am I doing my duty out of habit and not an initiative of my own. My greatest pray is to really understand the sufferings that Jesus endured for my sins personally. I want to make the cross a daily experience for myself. How I long for the cross and resurrection to have real meaning in my life.