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April 1, 2026
Tragedies are commonplace…
Many of us recognize this line as the opening phrase of one of gospel music legend Walter Hawkins’ most memorable songs. In a short, pithy phrase, he names a truth we all know: Grief, heartbreak, and disappointment are not distant emotions reserved for the unfortunate but companions that move through all our lives.
This is why Holy Week matters. The story we enter this week does not rush past sorrow to celebrate victory. The narrative refrains from leaping to Resurrection Sunday while sidestepping the anguish of Good Friday. Instead, Holy Week invites us to linger with the weight of betrayal, the sting of abandonment, and the finality of the cross. Easter shows that hope springs eternal, yet it is born in disappointment and despair on a silent Saturday.
Consider the disciples. They can testify to what it feels like to put their hopes in an ideal only to see it crucified by engines of injustice and perverted expressions of power. In Luke’s account of the resurrection, even after Jesus appears and walks beside his disciples, they do not recognize him. Grief obscures their vision. The darkness of Friday lingers long enough to dim the dawn of Sunday.
There is something profoundly human in this story.
Holy Week grants us permission to tell the truth about our lives. It affirms that grief is legitimate; heartbreak is real; despair does not signal the absence of faith but reveals the depth of our humanity.
Yet Holy Week does not leave us in sorrow. The same story that dignifies our grief also dares us to defy despair. It reminds us that war, death, evil, and injustice are not the end. From Saturday’s silence, something stirs. From doubt’s shadow, something enduring rises. So, we let hope and joy spring from our souls.
So, yes. Walter Hawkins was right. Tragedies are commonplace.
But so are grace, mercy, and the persistent presence of God moving through a wounded world.
And for that, we join the chorus of Walter Hawkins’ classic song that has carried generations:: “Thank you, Lord, for all You’ve done for me.”
It is Holy Week.
And hope, once again, is on the horizon!
One Luv,
Jonathan Lee WaltonPRESIDENT
“The love of God and the love of humanity are one love”—Benjamin Elijah Mays
I invite you to read our Lenten Reflection series. Each week throughout the 2026 Lenten season, alumni of the Seminary shared a personal reflection rooted in soil, scripture, and hope.
Chijioke Agbaeze (MTE ’25) reflects on Genesis 3:19, and regenerative farming, inviting us to see Lent as renewal, rest, and return to God.
Vic Collins (MTE ’25) reflects on Lent, waiting, and the Ignatian Examen, inviting readers to notice God’s presence through contemplation
Noah M. Gourlie MDiv ’23, MTE ’24 contemplates the need to recognize opportunity, embrace patience, act meaningfully
