Preparation for Easter


Cecile from the Jerusalem kehilla writes to us about the retreat day to prepare for Easter that was held in Jerusalem on March 14, 2009.

This past Saturday, on March 14, a retreat day to prepare us for Easter was held. As often the case in the past, we were welcomed by the Sisters of Sion in Ein Karem with their paradise like garden where we could enjoy both the flowers and the birds. We came from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Beer Sheba.

As usual, the day began with a welcome with a hot drink, then morning prayer focused on Psalm 92, with readings from Deuteronomy 32:1-12, Psalm 5 and Isaiah 1:16-18.

Father Pino, a Jesuit, "opened" for us the text of the Gospel in Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the Prodigal Son. 

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At midday we went to bring Irena in order to selebrate with her her 85th birthday. She was delighted to come and celebrate with us and did not hide her joy. She used the occasion to pay a visit to her old friends from the past, both now buried in the cemetery of the convent, Rina and Sophie.

Then there was a song rehearsal in preparation for Holy Week, followed by a second lecture by Father Pino on the text of the binding of Isaac from Genesis 22:1-14.

At 16.30, mass was celebrated with the children who had been preparing themselves for Easter with Michal and they brought their productions to the celebration.

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For those who were not able to be with us, I will try to give a summary of the things that Father Pino shared with us. I hope that this will add to the interest of this all too short summary of the events of the day.

Beginning from these two texts (the Prodigal Son parable and the Binding of Isaac), Father Pino sought to underline the particular relationship of Father - Son.

The text of the Prodigal Son exists only Luke and is a text that touches us every time anew because it describes our own human condition. Jesus is also son: Jn 1:45 and Mt 20:18.

What is the "Son of Man" as an eschatological figure? (Daniel 7:13)

Jesus seeks to tell us that he is like us all, that he seeks to experience all that we experience: difficulties, sufferings and death.

Coming back to the parable of Luke: the prodigal son calls his father "Abba" whilst the other son never calls the father by this name. Jesus also calls his Father Abba on different occasions. He asks for his part of his Father's property: "Give me the share of the property that will belong to me". The father does give him, acting quickly, he becomes "weak", insisted Father Pino, despite our resistances he distributes what he has immediately. The son believed that he was capable to administer his belongings by himself but step by step he loses everything. He will even lose his human relations only to find himself totally cast down, even lower than the pigs. This is to be as if dead.

In the Book of Esther, which we read during the Lenten season, Esther must also reach almost the moment of death before being saved.

Then the son came to himself and returned to his father. Calling him Abba he reaffirms the relationship with him. The father ran towards him, unable to resist his own nature and he embraces him, ordering the slaughtering of the fatted calf so that his son might become a "son of man" again, a human person. This is the joy of the resurrection because the son has returned home.

The Fathers of the Church saw the young man as an image of the Jesus who is like us.

Jesus is before all else Son.

The Father is discreet, he sees in secret (Mt 6:1-4), he forgives (Mt 6:14), he is merciful (Lk 6:35), and he asks us to do the same, to love (Mt 5:44-45). The Father teaches us to be brothers and sisters and Jesus teaches us to be sons and daughters, like he is Son. This is the message of the First Letter of John and Mt 11:25.

The text of Genesis 22,1-14 begins with the words: "After these things". Abraham, despite his suffering, listened to Sarah and sent away Hagar with his son Ishmael into the wilderness. Now God comes to put him to the test: does Abraham love his son more than he loves God? The text underlines: "take your son, your only son, the one you love, Isaac". And Abraham shows how much he loves God. Slowly Isaac also understands what is going on and gives his consent to the sacrifice and so both of them are sons of God.

In the Gospel, Jesus is the "beloved son" like Isaac. He is the beloved son of God - see the conversation with Nicodemus (Jn 3:13-19). In the desert, when tempted by Satan (Lk 4:3.9), Jesus is referred to as Son of God but he puts aside this title. He becomes "weak" like his Father.

Before the Sanhedrin, Jesus admits that he is "son of God" but this is within the context of his weakness before his judges.

At the mass, among the readings from the third Sunday of Lent was the one from the First Letter to the Corinthians, in which we heard: "God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength" (1:25). 

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