babies?” Lucien raised an eyebrow.
It was a fair question. If they were so perfect when they started out, why did He even let them grow up and ruin themselves? They’d have to save that one for Father Andrew.
Palm Sunday
After Mrs. Fletcher’s Bible reading event she no longer objected to the Gonkers’ presence on the Altar. Neither did anyone else so their Mom kind of forgot about them being forbidden to read from the church Bible. The following Thursday found them back in the girls’ room, ark box open and surveying their treasures. They all had different favorites: Lucien liked the coin from Caesarea Philippi, Logan thought the demoniac chain was cool, Lillian preferred the sprig of pine bough which Jesus had given just to her after they walked on water, Mags liked the laminated flower-- Caparis Aegyptia, according to the internet botany site. Finne would have liked the fish sandwiches but they had all been eaten. Molly liked the rattle from the Wedding feast, and so did Fred- Therese.
“So where do we go today?” Logan wondered aloud.
“How about a payade?” This was Molly’s suggestion.
“I like parades,” Finne seconded his sister.
“There aren’t any parades in the Bible,” Logan objected.
“How about that one we do every year when we hold the green leaves,” said Lily. “It has to come from the Bible somewhere.”
“Let’s ask Mom,” Lucien grabbed a dried palm frond which was draped around the picture of Jesus and brought it to their mother.
“Please put that back,” she said, looking up from preparing bone broth soup, a staple of their diet (“keeps you healthy” she always said.) “It’s blessed.”
“I will,” Lucien flashed his charming smile. “I was just wondering what we were celebrating when got these in the parade.”
“Procession,” his mother corrected Lucien. “Palm Sunday. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem before the Passion.”
“Oh, thanks.” Lucien smiled again. “I’ll put it back now.” After doing so the children searched the Bible and found it in all four Gospels. Lily eeny meenied and they ended up with John’s Gospel.
This time Logan read: “On the next day, when the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches--” They found themselves standing alongside a dirt road. Jesus was approaching, riding on a donkey. The crowds were beside themselves with enthusiasm, everyone singing and waving palm branches as He approached.
“Everybody loves Jesus!” Finne said, waving a palm frond. It certainly did seem to be the case. The donkey could hardly move forward with the crowd pressing around Him.
Some of the men who were standing toward the back did not seem like they were enjoying the parade, though. They had sour looks on their faces.
Later, after the children had followed Jesus and the disciples to the place where they were staying Jesus seemed grave, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” He said. “Amen. amen I say to you. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life will lose it and whoever loses his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me. Where I am there will my servant be….
Now is the time of judgment on this world. Now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all men to Myself.”
Then He seemed to look directly at the children. “The light will be among you only a little while. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may not overcome you… While you have the light believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light.”
Then He blessed each of the children and when He got to Logan they were yanked back to Cathedral. The children were silent and thoughtful as they walked from the altar, even the littler ones. For whatever reason It seemed that Jesus had been trying to say something to them between the lines. Something they needed to know. If only they knew what He meant.
Three Days
“Oh hey, it looks like you’re using that treasure box I made for you guys.” Their dad had been walking by as they dropped the laminated bit of palm frond, their souvenir from the “parade” into the ark box. “Wow, you’ve got lots of cool stuff!”
The children showed him and they told him where each treasure had come from.
“Well,” he said, stroking his chin, “I’ll give you one thing. You all have great imaginations.”
“We’re not imagining,” Finne was defiant, “we went there.”
“Dad…?” Logan looked at his fingers as he spoke, “are you gonna join the church for real?”
Their father hesitated before he spoke. “Cathedral is a great place and they really do a lot of wonderful things for folks in need-- benefits and fund raising for anyone who gets into a tough spot. It’s just a lot of commitment, going to church and following all those rules. And the Bible stories are… well,” he tried to be diplomatic, “they’re just stories for kids. All those miracles and healings, they never happen in real life.”
“Yes they do!” the children objected in chorus.
“You’re telling me that Jesus actually died, rose from the dead and was walking around…?”
The children nodded earnestly.
“Well, I’d like to see that!”
The Passion
“So, tell me again,” their father was standing on the Altar at church, Logan on one side and Lily on the other, “Why can’t we just read from our Bible at home?”
“You’ll see, Daddy. Now hold my hand and Logan’s,” she reached out and he took her hand, as directed. Lily began to read: “So they took Jesus and, carrying the cross Himself, He went out to what was called “the place of the skull”, In Hebrew, “Golgotha”. They crucified Him and, with Him, two others, one on either side with Jesus in the middle--”
It was a terrible scene. All three men were writhing in agony and Jesus particularly was covered in blood from head to foot.
“Whoa!” their dad tried to shield Lily’s eyes. “You should not be seeing this!” No one should be, was his actual thought. It was the most wrong thing he had ever seen.
“My God, my God! Why have you forsaken Me…” Jesus groaned and His voice trailed off.
The man on his right leaned toward Jesus and said something with a mocking tone. But the man on His left looked at Jesus and seemed to apologize for him. Then he said something else and Jesus lifted His head, looked at the second man and said, “This very day you will be with Me in Paradise.”
There were other people at the foot of the cross, one of Jesus’ apostles, four women, and two Roman soldiers. One of the women was Jesus’ mother and Jesus turned to her and said, “Woman behold your son.” He gestured to the apostle. And to this man He said, “Son, behold your mother.” The apostle put his arm around Mary, who looked dazed and deathly herself.
After a bit Jesus spoke again. “I thirst.” His voice was so compelling one of the soldiers immediately ran and grabbed a sponge soaked in vinegar. But He refused it. He was having a very hard time drawing breaths at this point. Then, in a loud voice He said, “It is consummated!” And His head fell forward. He did not raise it again.
“Daddy!” Lily pointed to the sky. A storm had been building up but now all hell broke loose. An older man had appeared with a large white cloth draped over his arm and after speaking with the soldiers, one of them jabbed his spear into Jesus’ side. There was a gush of water followed by blood. After that Jesus’ body-- for it was quite clear to all that He was no longer alive-- was given to the man with the white cloth and this man led the mournful entourage, among them Logan, Lillian, and their dad, to a cave in the rock face. John and the man were dragging the body of Jesus, His heels becoming caked with the chalk-like sand which covered the ground there. When they reached the cave they lit candles and the women with Mary cleaned His body a bit.
The older man ripped a long strip from the cloth and then ripped th
at strip in several pieces. Then John helped the older man to lay Jesus’ body on the cloth on the shelf. The weeping women placed flowers on His body,. The older man wrote some words on the white cloth and placed coins on Jesus’ eyelids. Then he pulled the sheet around the front of Jesus’ body, tucking it under His feet. Finally he tied the strips around Jesus’ ankles, wrists and chin. The women, the apostles and the Gonkers left the cave and the Roman soldiers rolled a heavy stone to block the entrance. The storm was full force by now and the Gonkers stumbled after the mother of Jesus and the apostle. Only the Roman soldiers remained at the tomb.
“Ok,” their dad said, after they had rested for a bit, “I know I said I’d like to see that, but if you both don’t mind, I’m done with this. I agree. Jesus is dead. I totally believe you if you say He will rise from that tomb, but I want to go home. So how do we do that?” Both of the children were avoiding his gaze.
Logan finally cleared his throat. “You better hope He resurrects…”
“Why is that?”
Lillian rolled her eyes. “The only way out of here is to touch Jesus and right now He’s gone.”
Resurrection
Back at Cathedral Father Andrew was in the rectory getting ready for the closing prayers-- Benediction, they were called-- for this week’s Thursday Adoration. Sue Collins poked her head in, “Father…? I’ve got a little problem with the Gonkers…”
Father Andrew looked up sharply. “Are they