Holy Week Celebrates on Que Though Still We're Living in an Unloving World

""They had all kinds of accusations... Insurrection. Inciting a riot. Conspiracy. Terrorism (plotting to destroy the temple). Blasphemy.

But all he did was love. And heal. And give people hope.

Despite any substantial evidence, witnesses, or signs of any crime committed - he was pronounced guilty and sentenced to die.

As he awaited his fate, he was bullied, interrogated, harassed, tortured, beaten to a pulp. The authorities humiliated him and stripped him naked. They mocked the claims of his divinity - ramming a crown of thorns onto his head and wrapping him in a royal purple robe as they laughed.

God's Plan: Follow the Puzzle Pieces, 

He's Already Left the Bread Crumbs

And so it went. This man who many believe was the holy one that the prophets spoke of, the long awaited Messiah, God incarnate, love with skin on - was executed, brutally. He died with his body convulsing as his lungs collapsed, with vultures swarming overhead, hoping to clean up after the execution. There is nothing more evil than what happened that "Good" Friday.

Most of his friends deserted him and left him to fend for himself. Some of them were so scared they denied even knowing him. Only the women stayed. The long loneliness was so agonizing, so gut-wrenching, he felt like God had bailed on him. Among his last words were these: "My God, My God... why have you forsaken me?"

But even though it was a gruesome week - love gets the last word. We call it "Good" Friday because it wasn't just death that made the news - but resurrection. The empire, the cross, the bloodshed was not the end of the story. On the cross Jesus made a spectacle of evil - he exposed the hatred we are capable of. And he triumphed over that hatred with love. He died with forgiveness on his lips. Just as he came to set the oppressed free, he also came to set oppressors free.

Holy Week is not just about the resurrection - it is also about the cross. Without Good Friday there is no Easter. But we can't leave Jesus on the cross. In the end this is a resurrection story. Holy week is about a God who suffers with us - bleeds with us, cries with us, hopes with us. As we celebrate Holy Week, let's connect the passion of Christ with the passion of the streets. As we remember the violence inflicted on Jesus, we remember the crucified peoples of our world, the victims of violence today.""

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-claiborne/holy-week-in-an-unholy-world_b_6993740.html

John the Apostle Relics Discovered in Ashes of Grave

""Excavations at a medieval port and fortress in Bulgaria have led archaeologists to discover several artifacts of significance. A lead vessel containing ashes from the alleged grave of John the Apostle has been found, as well as a 10th century Bulgarian royal seal.

Archaeology in Bulgaria reports the artifacts were recovered during excavations of the ancient fortress of Rusocastro, and the port of Burgos (Poros), located in what is today Burgas, Bulgaria

The curved lead tube or vessel containing ashes was discovered in a reliquary attributed to Saint John (St. John the Theologian), one of the Twelve Apostles to Jesus in Christian belief. It was found within a reliquary in an early Christian basilica, dating to the sixth century A.D. The vessel itself is very small, measuring only 2.2 centimeters (less than an inch) long. The outside of the artifact is decorated with many equal-armed crosses, and one of the two handles is missing.

Described as a “holy possession that preserved a holy substance,” the relic would have been considered to have had healing properties, said Milen Nikolov, Director of the Burgas Regional Museum of History, at a press conference this week.  He explained that relic was related to ancient beliefs, saying “every year on May 8, the date of John the Apostle’s death, there is manna, a holy healing powder, on the site of his grave.”

According to historical sources, Christian pilgrims are said to have gathered on the date of his death at his grave site in ancient Greek city Ephesus (Turkey), where they would lay rose petals and receive healing manna. Many would make pilgrimages in hopes of taking the ashes or manna powder to their own villages to serve as a healing item or a powerful talisman to ward off evil. As the tube’s decorations match those in Ephesus, researchers believe it may have originated there, and was brought to Bulgaria via pilgrimage, reports news site Novinite.

“All of these Early Christian pilgrimage centers produced primarily clay tubes for holy water; a total of only 43 lead tubes from this time period are known in the entire world,” notes Archaeology in Bulgaria.""

http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/ancient-relic-found-containing-ashes-grave-john-apostle-002826