The Passion
There is something about Holy Week that always brings to heart the intimacy of my Christian relationship. On first glance by outsiders my life would hardly seem that of the devout disciple, but on closer examination one will find the heart of one fully engaged in a love affair with the person, principle, passion and concept of Jesus "The anointed."Ours is a long lived relationship that started in my teens. It was then that I was able to see him through my own eyes, pass the interpretation fed to me by a dogmatic doctrine that fostered more fear than love. It was then in those tenuous teen years that I found a compassionate outsider that never quite fit in with the norms of his day. I was able to see his blatant rejection of the spiritual status quo held as sacrosanct by the religious elite of his time. It was then that I realized I was already more like Jesus than I had previously seen.
During those early years I began a practice that I continue to this day, of having conversations with The Most Beloved. Back then it was usually at bed time while looking out my window at the night sky. As I grew older it evolved to small conversation throughout the day when brought to mind. These conversations served as little breaks in an always overfilled day that allowed me to connect to this ensign of love that he had become for me and thus to love itself.
The more I read scripture I was able to divine the beauty of this person we know as Jesus and my affection for him grew. How could I not love this being who was so easily and readily moved to action by his compassion? How could I, the visionary that I was, not embrace the excellence of his pursuit of a destiny he was sure was his own. And who could not love a man whose heart of compassion & length of vision caused him to say a pray for those of us who had yet to populate the planet as he prepared to cross his final threshold into immortal notoriety.
Yes, I acknowledge that accounts could have been exaggerated when being recounted. I will acquiesce that some things get lost in translation and that context could reveal other strains to the story. What does hold true however, is the impeccable tale of unselfish love that lead a man, clearly having a human experience on this planet, to give up his life to serve the greater good. A man, who while he lived, gave to all who came for help. It is the story of unwavering faith that allowed him to offer this sacrifice trusting that what he knew in his heart about his divine destiny was true. It is the epic of triumph over the naysayers that could not believe the impossible. And at the very heart of it all is me (and you):
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us... And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one..." John 17:20-22
WE are the true passion of Jesus "The Anointed" It is a desire for us to know the true intimacy & oneness of divinity that inspired him to take that last agonizing step into glory instead of asking for reprieve. By doing so he became an example of the beauty, wonder & magic that lives in that space where humanity & divinity meet. It is this understanding that fuels my adoration. And if I never called myself a Christian again, I'd always admit my love for this gorgeous being & the concept of selfless love that he exemplifies.
So, I invite you this week, no matter what your religious affiliation, to look at the story of Jesus through different eyes. See the beauty of his gesture of sacrifice. Contemplate the depth of his commitment to global change. And consider that you, individually & we collectively were at the heart of his cause and thus are his true passion.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." ~John 15:13
