Holy week reflection

This past week has been Holy week here in Bogota. Many families from the city leave to go on vacation; many families that remain make their trips to Mass for their religious obligations. Church buildings that I thought were no longer in use are now rather busy with worshippers and people selling candles just outside the doors. It is sad to see many trying to earn their way into God’s good graces by being good and completing tasks. And yet, when reflecting on our own lives, it is not too difficult for us to find areas where we can be just like the Pharisees in doing good things with the wrong motives. What a refining processes we are in but we are thankful that it is through God’s grace we are saved and not from any of our own works that we gain favor with God. This past week, as a family, we have been reading through parts of the Gospels that make up Jesus' last week. How thankful we are for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross so that we may have a personal relationship with God.