Date of Publication:
April 26, 2021
This week is Holy Week for Orthodox Christians all over the world. For me, that usually means a couple hours of services every day, on top of school and other commitments. And even though it’s only Monday, I’m already beginning to feel overwhelmed. At the same time, it’s been two years since I’ve last attended Holy Week services; last year’s were cancelled due to the pandemic. So, I’ve been holding these concurrent senses of excitement and dread for the week to come. But, in learning to sit with these seemingly opposed feelings, I find myself realizing that they have far more in common than might be expected.
A central theme of Holy Week is the crucifixion of Jesus and it is with a combination of these same two emotions that one is supposed to regard the event; dread for the death of the savior and excitement and joy in the knowledge of both its redeeming value and the coming resurrection. In that sense, they’re really two sides of the same coin, and so, I wonder if this is really how I’m meant to feel. I should be excited for what this week brings even as I acknowledge the difficulties that it will pose. I’m finding that learning to hold seemingly opposed feelings and get comfortable with that discomfort has been a valuable learning experience. So as the week begins, I’m asking myself: how do I grow from discomfort?