Carisa Lee
Reporter
carisa.lee@cnc3.co.tt
The period from Palm to Easter Sunday is known as Holy Week when Christians commemorate Jesus’ death by crucifixion and His Resurrection.
A Roman Catholic priest and an evangelical bishop believe what Jesus faced then and how he dealt with it can be used to address some of the negativity in this country.
Father Robert Christo said Christians should revisit the scriptures and see the characteristics, such as forgiveness and sacrifice, that Jesus displayed
“You put yourself in the position there and see where you are at this stage in life, because last year there was a Peter in me, this year there could be a Judas in me, this year could be the woman with the alabaster jar,” he said.
Fr Christo described the events of Holy Week as the greatest act of love that changes everything. He explained that life is not only upward mobility and Christ’s whole descent into Palm Sunday was downward morbidity. He said sometimes people want to acquire success by jumping high but Jesus showed it is attained by emptying self, by sacrifice, by forgiveness and by the strength from the sacrament of the church.
“Fighting with force is just the reverse. It is fighting with love. Getting even with somebody is actually forgiving them, walking away,” he said.
Bishop Dr Dave Alleyne, of Flaming Word Ministry in Chaguanas, wanted Christians to know that whatever they are going through, they can prevail as most of the negativity then is the same as today.
“Christ would have taken a lot of punishment. He would have taken 39 strikes to bring healing, he would have gone through a lot of things, betrayal, all these things that are common in human society, all these things happening in our lives today, but he overcame it all,” he said.
Alleyne said despite the trials and the hardships people face in life, they can still rise once they believe Jesus did