I was 21 years old traveling through Italy with my parents and siblings when I first visited the Sistine Chapel. Ink barely dry on my art history degree, I entered the Chapel with a pilgrim’s reverence. It was too crowded to literally fall to my knees, but that was my internal response as I stood gazing up at Michelangelo’s masterpiece. 

My younger sister Catherine had a different reaction, however. After a few minutes beneath the world’s most celebrated ceiling, she turned to our parents and asked, ​“How much longer do we have to stay here?” She was a pre-teen in the middle of a growth spurt, understandably exhausted by the long lines and crowds. We were only in Italy for two weeks, so we had been trying to squeeze in as much as we could. (“Squeezing in as much as you can” being the obvious and normal thing to do.) This fast-moving itinerary had simply maxed out my little sister’s capacity for awe. 

We laugh about this story now, because Catherine became an art major and is such a deep person of faith, gratitude, and wonder! ​“I know I should have appreciated it more,” she told me. But the truth is, any child would have had a similar response. If we could do the trip over again, I think our whole family would want to adjust the pace to better accommodate the youngest one in our midst. 

And let’s be honest. It’s not just kids who have a hard time experiencing awe when life is rushed and overstimulated. None of us — young or old — can be present to God without the chance to ​“be still, and know” (Psalm 46:10). 

This is a lesson that extends to far more than how we arrange our travel itineraries. I’m thinking specifically of the week ahead — the minutes, hours, and days between now and Easter… 

What will it take for this to be a ​“holy week” for you? 

How might you slow things down so that you can soak in the story of the betrayal, the trial, the crucifixion and burial, and the glorious day of resurrection? 

If this Story of Stories strikes us as ​“been there, heard that,” our capacity for awe needs resuscitation!

A little quiet and a little paring down goes a long way toward reviving our ability to appreciate these events. To weep at the cross. To run to the tomb. To fall down at the scarred feet and worship the risen Lord. 

As you adjust the pace and volume of the days ahead, may the Living Christ fill you with awe and adoration.