You know it is holy week when Catholics are extremely busy, running around, making sure everything is set up for Easter Triduum. (hint hint why I haven't been able to post nearly as much as I would like to in the past week or so...).
So as Easter is quickly approaching, many Catholics like to go to confession, making the lines very long. Unfortunately I had no time to go in the beginning of the week with my crazy schedule, so I finally made time to head over to St. Mary's down the road for 7pm confession on a Wednesday night. I was proud of myself, I had gotten there 15 minutes early (6:45pm) but was surprised to see so many cars, the entire parking lot was packed! I then saw many students from the Catholic primary school, Holy Cross, and then thought, 'oh, it's just the parents picking up their kids from class, no worries.' So I headed inside, and as I started to make my way to the usual pews which hold the confession line, I was confused to see many people sitting inside, and holding programs. Usually, 7pm on a Wednesday night there is both confession and adoration, which I was totally prepared for, but now this was throwing off my schedule! Now that I was sitting in the pew waiting, I was deciding should I stay and see whatever is happening/if confession is actually happening, or should I risk leaving and then try to come back later? Then 5 more people came and sat in my pew, trapping me. Looks like I was going to stay.
Moments later one of the sisters from Holy Cross Academy came up to the front of the church to introduce the event. The school's sixth graders were performing a play entitled 'Three Trees', apparently a holy week tradition at St. Mary's Church. As soon as she finished her introduction, the sixth graders, all dressed in purple tee-shirts and khaki pants, filed into the church as they began to sing. Ahh so it would be a singing play! I was already here, so I decided to sit back, relax, and enjoy, waiting to see what was to unfold.
The play was really cute; it was about three young trees who had big plans for when they grew up. The first tree wanted to become a treasure chest to hold the finest gold, silver, and jewels, fit for a king. The second tree wanted to become a ship who would carry mighty sailors and kings. Then, the third tree didn't want to become something, but instead wanted to grow straight and tall, so that when people looked up at him, they would look up at heaven, for that is how tall he wanted to be. One day, some men came to chop all three trees down, and then they were thrown off to the side. The first tree was then taken by carpenters and made into a box, which was then put in a manger to be used as a oxen feed box. The tree was upset, for it had wanted to hold treasures beyond compare. Then, along came a man and a woman who had nowhere to go. So they came into the manger, and the woman gave birth to a son, and laid him in the box, for she had no crib for him. The tree had dreamed of wanting to hold treasures of gold and silver, but now he was holding the greatest treasure of them all. Now the second tree was all taken by carpenters and was made into a small boat, which was then placed on a small lake. The tree was upset because it had wanted to be a mighty ship with sails so big that it would carry great warriors and kings. One day a group of fishermen and a teacher came into the boat, where the teacher ended up falling asleep. Suddenly the weather turned bad, and the boat looked like it would capsize and the fishermen were greatly afraid, but then the teacher stood up and commanded the sea to be calm. The tree had dreamed of being a huge ship, who would carry get warriors and kings, but now was holding the greatest of kings, the mightiest of warriors who could calm the seas. Then, there was the third tree, who was left until one day some soldiers came, picked him up, and put him on a man's back, a man who walked up a hill, with many people laughing and jeering at him. The man was then put up on the tree where he died. The tree was upset because he wanted to live a long life and grow so tall that when people looked up at him, they would be looking up at heaven. Then the tree understood; by that man who carried him and then was killed on him opened up the gates of heaven. Now every time people see this tree, they are looking at the opening of heaven. The play then ended with three students holding up three white flags (they held green flags in the beginning to represent the three trees) but now the white flags are what the trees became and how they will lead up home to Jesus.
The play was 30 minutes long and something that I wasn't expecting to see at all, but as simple and music filled as it was, there was such a big message that was put so simply. All three of the trees had plans of what they wanted to do when they grew up; they wanted to be great each in their own way, but then one day their plans were drastically changed as they were cut down. They each then had to just wait and see what was going to happen to them. Then they each served a very important role in the life of Jesus; the feed box in which was the baby's crib, the fishermen boat on which Jesus calmed the storm, showing himself to the disciples, and then the cross on which Jesus gave His life for us and opened the gates of heaven. We all want to do great things in this life, we all have plans drawn out, organized neatly in which we want to follow, but those elaborate plans may not be what God has in store for us, in fact He has something way more important and better for us to do in our lifetime. What we need to do is just trust in Him, and not just trust, but put all of our trust in Him. We need to give our lives to Him and to know fully that He will take care of us, that He has great plans for us.
I went into church Wednesday at 6:45pm expecting to go to confession and spend some time in front of Jesus in adoration, but what I saw and experienced was a simple story of a great message given by some sixth graders.
What will those three trees say to you?
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