With Holy Week here next week, the theme of Death-and-Resurrection will be covered in all religion classes. Depending on the grade level, your kids could do anything as fundamental in their learning about this topic as reading a story of a pet that died (kindergarten level) to a level that is approaching-adult-subject-matter, such as discussing the causes of teen suicide (8th grade level).

Of course, all of the teacher's lesson are tied to the beliefs in our Christian faith, so the story of Jesus being condemned to death, crucified, buried, and rising from the dead are all a part of next week's religion classes, as is the subject of heaven.  At St. Louise School, we take advantage of Death-and-Resurrection W eek to not just teach students the history of Jesus's Passion and Resurrection , but also to connect the reality of our humanness and mortality ( and the mortality of our grandparents /loved ones who are deceased/etc. ) with the  miraculous possibility of eternal life with God .

Now, as your children take time during Holy Week with these lessons so to expand their theological knowledge and deepen their faith lives, can I suggest we adults spend time also focusing on our own faith lives? You and I should make sure we set aside time during Holy Week to contemplate how we can grow more deeply in our faith so that it's stronger than it was when we started Lent 4 0 days ago. 

You might have already taught your kids (and our teachers are reinforcing this next week) that Our Lord experienced excruciating pain when He went through His Passion.  Because it brought about good for us, Jesus accepted this physical pain - and also the emotional pain of knowing he was being betrayed by Judas, left alone by his Apostles, and put to death by the mob yelling "Crucify him!" Although we will never experience the pain of being nailed to the cross or being betrayed by a loved one in such a serious matter, in our own life experiences, we  all experience  suffering - both physical and emotional . In my role as St. Louise's principal, I have the opportunity to hear of the pain that various school parents or faculty members are going through - from surgeries to sicknesses, and from funerals to family fights.  (Why do you think I have two boxes of Kleenexes in my office?) And I know the stories shared with me only are the tip of the iceberg of the sorrow and woe you and the school staff are going through in our personal lives.

Jesus said, "Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:28). We can make the most of this Holy Week not just by figuratively walking the way of the cross with Jesus in prayer and examination of our closeness with Him, but also by saying to ourselves, "The sufferings in my own life are my own cross that I carry . " (See the article below about Good Friday's Stations of the Cross to which you're invited.)

Jesus's death and resurrection story reveals to us that suffering is an opportunity given to us to offer these pains to God in self-giving sacrifice in union with Christ's sufferings. Our suffering then takes on a whole different dimension. No longer do we need to doubt God's goodness or even His existence, when we go through our own emotional and physical pains and cry out, "Why, God!?" Instead, we get to think of this greatest of opportunities to "give it up" (as Catholics are famous for saying), knowing that our suffering will be recompensed beyond our wildest dreams with perfect happiness and eternal life.

As you walk through Holy Week, at the same time that you are helping your children focus on the history, significance, and lessons learned about death-and-resurrection, please take time to slow down and center on the great love of Jesus who gave Himself up for you, as if you were the only person in the universe. How great is the love of our Almighty Father for you. And how easy it will be for you to carry your own cross, recalling Jesus's cross and realizing what everlasting joy is to come.