By Father Casey

It is possible to call yourself a Christian all your life but only ever know Jesus as a mascot. There have been Christians since at least the time of the Emperor Constantine who have proudly boasted of faith in Christ, but who treat him like a prop. Jesus is Lord, they say, and then they ask him to expand their power, bless their armies, and help them bring destruction to their enemies. Never mind that Jesus emptied himself of power, rebuked the ways of empire and armies, and used his final breaths to forgive the ones who killed him.

Yes, there will always be those who know Jesus as a mascot, and we saw it again a few weeks ago in a prayer service at the Pentagon. The Secretary of Defense publicly prayed for Christ to help "every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation," and to give "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy." This is the prayer of someone who has spent far too much time in the book of Joshua and far too little time in the gospels. There is only one way to characterize invoking Jesus Christ to bring death and destruction to others: sin. Jesus doesn't instruct us to take up weapons and kill our enemies; he instructs us to set down our weapons and love our enemies (Matthew 26:52; 5:44). He doesn't practice mercy as an experiement until he finally realizes the necessity of violence to win; he demonstrates mercy all the way to the very end, when he uses his final dying breaths to speak forgiveness to his executors.

This is why Holy Week is so important. Holy Week reveals who Jesus really is, and who we are to be as his friends and followers. Holy Week puts us into the presence of the true and living Christ, and helps us unmask the mascot. It reminds us to stop looking for Jesus on a war horse and start looking for him on a donkey; to leave our seats of comfort and join him on the floor washing feet; to set down our weapons and take up our crosses; to stop believing in the power of violence and start believing in the power of forgiveness.

And so I make again my annual plea: come to Holy Week. Walk the way of the cross. Journey all the way through the story of salvation to Easter Day. Remember what Jesus did to remember who Jesus is. Get right up close to the true and living Lord, who is so much more than a mascot, so you can see again how great his love is for you, and for the whole world.

Fr. Casey+