True God and TrueMan
The Easter Triduum is an incredible celebration within our Church’s liturgical calendar. The Triduum is the time from Holy Thursday until Easter Day, which includes so many incredible elements to our faith, such as: The Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper! The Institution of the Priesthood, Christ humbling Himself (as our example, especially for men) as a servant-leader with the washing of the feet, Christ’s Passion, Christ’s death on the cross as the Paschal Lamb – the Passover fulfillment, and tomorrow, the celebration of His Resurrection! What a rich and humbling tradition of redemption we have!
We should see Christ as our model. He is the perfection of manliness. He is all virtue. He is sacrificial, even to the point of death. He is a servant leader. It is these characteristics that we should be striving for. In the Divine Praises, we pray the following statement… “Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.” This verse has become the tagline for our ministry here at TrueManhood (scroll down this page to see!), and for good reason. We’re all asking the question, “what does it mean to be a real man?” The answer lies with Christ. When you get up in the morning, throughout the entire day, and again before you go to bed, I recommend that you immerse yourself in the life of Christ so that you can learn what He did while He walked this earth and also, so that you learn what He continues to do, as He sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. This means, first and foremost, that you are praying continually! A daily, fervent prayer life will aid you greatly. [Don’t know how to pray?… shoot me an email and we’ll chat. Dave@TrueManhood.com.] Next, I recommend that you gaze upon Christ on the cross. His sacrifice is there and present on the cross. The image of Christ on the cross reminds us of what and who He is and why He did what He did for us, all of us. Stare at Him. Unite your suffering to Him. Serve as He served. Lead as he led. Love as He loved.
I pray that your Lenten experience was fruitful this year. Be aware that you can give up things (this is called fasting) anytime (not on Sundays)… it doesn’t have to be only during Lent. Work to control your will, so that by saying ‘no’ in the little things, you can say ‘no’ to the big temptations. Practicing what the Church suggests for us during Lent is good to continue throughout the entire year.
Man up!
