Why all this suffering?

Holy Week, the seven days before the feast of Easter, is charged with meaning. It is a microcosm of Jesus’ public life in bas-relief. All of its components are there—the population at large, the temple priests and their concern for orthodoxy, the prophetic words of Jesus and the political concerns of Roman officials for the social upheavals they feared could come from them, the arrest and isolation of Jesus, and the fears and confusion of his followers. Condensed into one week, all these elements in the life of Jesus are laid bare for all to see. It is a dark week, a week heavy with the intensity of the drama among them.

We see all the forces of evil collude and collide. We watch as Jesus, caught in the grip of religious and political agendas, goes on speaking out, doing good, regardless. No political spin here. Jesus will die, yes, but not only. There is more than death to come.