** Fundraising Update, thanks to so many incredible people that have donated to my trip I am now Fully Funded! I am overcome with gratitude for everyone in my life who has helped me, pushed me to be more like God. Please continue to pray for me as I finish up my last 60 days of this trip in Guat. Love you all.**
This past week I had the opportunity to experience Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala. One of only two places in the world to celebrate the Lent season to such extravagance, Antigua becomes a mecca for Catholics and tourists alike. It is said one million people descend into the high mountain valley during Semana Santa [Holy Week]. The crowds, enough to be a spectacle on their own, form the human rivers that guide the processions throughout the cobble stone streets.
The processions include hundreds of people in faux roman dress or purple satin robes that stare back at you as you see your uneasy reflection as each wearer passes by. A parade would be a good description of the event but with the solemn music and emotional depictions of Jesus Christ on his way to the cross, these processions are less of a parade and more of a funeral march.
Jesus died for all of humanity, he bore the immeasurable penalty of the world’s sin, and paid the ultimate price when he hung on that cross. But if that was the end of the story, we would have just had a man, who tried to pay the price for everyone without the cost to fully redeem the world. It is for that reason that I believe that the most important thing Jesus did was not die for us… It was his divinity coming to the world, dying the worst human death, and the most important; raising from the dead on the third day transfigured for the transformation of the world. Without God’s resurrection, redemption of sins and our personal resurrection would be impossible. It was not Jesus’ death that saved us, but his life. It was Sunday not Friday.
Good Friday in Antigua and Black Friday in the states share many similarities: special one time offers on everything you might want, long lines, vendors lining the streets, vendors lining the streets with long lines, and feel of dissatisfaction when you walk away from it all. As I sat and watched the processions on Good Friday as each float passed I felt increasingly dysphoric knowing that the all the celebrations end with the death of Christ. After Friday people leave, the crowd disperse, and I am left wishing for the most epic of party to erupt on Sunday. There could be colors, music, dancing, and fireworks but in Antigua we have a no party Easter.
