Life In Greencastle

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the night hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?” - which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  - Mark 15:33,34 For Jesus and his disciples, it was impossible to discern where Thursday ended and Friday began.  But they knew when things shifted.  They knew it instinctually.  There in the darkness of night still, a group of torches marched towards the Mount of Olives, and danced upon the narrow street leading to the Garden of Gethsemane.  The torches – of course – were marching towards Jesus, and under the torches moved the clank of metal and heavy feet. Soldiers! But in front of all the soldiers was a familiar figure.  It was Judas.  His mouth twisted in a painful expression - half smile and half worry – and his eyes constantly moving under the shadows that dance on his forehead.  Awkwardly he approac...

The images truly are sad to see.  I saw where several friends had posted pictures on Facebook of a visit to Paris and the cathedral of Notre Dame before the fire:  a married couple holding each other with the spire in the background, a young man with his students with the impressive structure off in the distance. Perhaps most tragic of all to me was a 360-degree image of the beautiful interior before the fire, it's stained-glass windows bathing the stones with purple-light from floor to ceiling.  In a matter of moments, a project that was intended to preserve the beauty of this holy place became a terrible nightmare as the fires engulfed the old wooden beams and blasted out the rose window. The tragedy is only multiplied as a result of this being Holy Week.  A rumored piece of Jesus' crown of thorns was housed in the spire that collapsed yesterday.  I haven't heard of its fate yet, but it's likely gone now. I see another connection to Holy Week in this sad story...