BCBP Imus Chapter

Reflecting on our community's journey and growth. 🙏 How can we grow closer to Jesus this Holy Week?

𝐊𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 (Article 23)

LENT. Remembering the Passion, preparing for Easter. Where does it begin? The First Sorrowful Mystery brings us to a garden. But let’s backtrack a little, into the Upper Room. There, Jesus, through bread-turned-Body and wine-turned-Blood, offers Himself for our sakes. An agonizing gift, because He means every word.

Let’s follow Him, down from Mt Zion, across the Kidron, to Gethsemane. On His knees, “overwhelmed by anguish and distress,” His “soul is full of sorrow, even unto death,” He prays, “Father, if it is Your will, remove this cup from me; however, not my will but Yours be done.” Again, words He means with all his heart. And as “he prayed even more earnestly, great drops of blood formed like sweat and fell to the ground.”

In extreme physical or emotional stress, a rare condition called Hematodrosis may occur. Capillaries feeding sweat glands burst, exuding blood. This makes the skin hyper-sensitive, such that the lightest of touches causes physical pain.

First-century physicians like Luke may not have known this, but we do now. We can think of what follows – the entire Way of the Cross – with more knowing minds. And back in the Garden of Olives, Fr. Andrew Dalton says, “the first physical violence that men perpetrated against Jesus” occurs. Can you guess?

With Jesus’s skin now painful to the littlest touch, His betrayer arrives. He who offered to surrender Jesus to the authorities; who took thirty coins in exchange; who arranged the signal for His arrest. Oh, that kiss. A sting on Jesus’s cheek, a stab upon His back, unsaid words screaming into His heart, “I hope you die.”

Later, when Pilate asks, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, just as I have power to crucify you?” Jesus makes it so clear how consequential is this two-faced kiss: “You would have no power over me unless it had been given to you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is more guilty.” Yes, Judas’s faithless deceit indeed opens the road to Calvary.

The Psalmist (55:13-15) says, “If it were a rival insulting me, I could bear with him; if it were a foe in pursuit of me, I could hide from him. But it is you, an equal of mine, my bosom friend, my companion; whose fellowship I enjoyed, as we walked together in the house of God.”

Oh, Lord of the Shroud! Could these words be meant for me? Am I Judas too, pushing You toward the Cross? Grant me clarity as I reflect, that I may see. And repent. And do better.

Sources:

The Gospels of Matthew (26:37-38), Mark (14:44-45), Luke (22:42 and 44), and John (19:10-11)

Jesus and the Shroud – The Spiritual Significance of Death and Resurrection
Fr Andrew Dalton, LC. Nonius Reccaredus.
27 May 2023 / https://youtu.be/MwCyVV4Hl1g?feature=shared

Seeking the Face of Christ: How the Shroud of Turin Reveals God's Love
Nora Creech, lecturer on the history, science and pastoral implications of the Shroud
19May2022 / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXnG2Xkf4Q

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙚 𝙋. 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙫𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧, 𝘽𝘾𝘽𝙋 𝘽𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙤 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 is a 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴'𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴, and 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳e 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.

Excerpts from the sharing of Bro. Jayvee and Sis Cheye Dela Fuente

“Awakened by His love, we've embraced service as our calling, finding a new family in fellowship. Let's nurture this bond and grow together, harmonizing our roles and embracing life in Christ. Let's not just be part-time Christians but uplift one another in all we do. Even in the fire, His presence sustains us”