The Bishop Writes

(From the March 18, 1999 edition of the Inland Register)

The quest of finding meaning in life is an ongoing search for every human being. The media are full of stories of folks who desperately try to get the most out of life, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Instant gratification, selfishness and rugged individualism are like sand traps on the golf course of life as we look to make par or even once in a while a hole in one. Sometimes we may feel that we consistently come up with terrible scores. We just don’t seem to have the swing of life figured out.

We are approaching Holy Week and the great feast of Easter. I would respectfully suggest that entering into the spirit of these last days of Lent and of Holy Week provide a remarkable opportunity of giving our lives a sense of balance and perspective which enriches our relationship with the Lord and keeps us in touch with an appreciation of our journey of life. So much of life is mystery, and we can’t afford to travel down dead end roads which initially seem to be very appealing and fulfilling.

These days of spiritual journey of Lent and Holy Week should help us to sort out life and truly get into the right “swing” of things. I would suggest three themes for reflection and celebration.

Remembering. The liturgies from Passion (Palm) Sunday to the Easter Vigil place before us stories of salvation history which have and continue to have profound impact upon our lives. Passion Sunday reminds us of the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. But Jesus is only a couple days away from arrest and a a dramatic change in his ministry.

We also read the Passion of St. Matthew on Palm Sunday, an interesting contrast to the triumphal entrance. Our lives, too, can be filled with great joys and tragedies.

Holy Thursday celebrates the Lord’s Supper, the continuing gift of celebration as Jesus feeds us with his Body and Blood. This is true soul food like no other.

Good Friday places before us the passion and death of Jesus according to St. John. When Jesus tells us to take up our daily cross and follow him, we can accept that invitation gladly, knowing that he has gone before us. The Easter Vigil in the Liturgy of the Word retraces significant moments of salvation history, stories which are a very important part of our tradition. We need to be rooted in our past as a pilgrim people. Forgetting this tradition can cause a lack of perspective and of appreciation.

Celebrating the moment. Each of us has his or her unique journey of faith. We come to our Holy Week celebrations just as we are. We have our joys and successes of life, but we also come with our failures and disasters. We live a very human journey. Yes, we are a redeemed people, but we are also constantly in the process of being redeemed.

We come together to celebrate our liturgies with the complexity of life just as it is. We take up the palm. We listen to the Word. We receive Jesus’ Body and Blood. We have our feet washed. We kiss the cross. We are baptized and confirmed. We hold the lighted candle which represents the light of Jesus and, in a sense, the light of ourselves as well.

These moments can’t help but leave an imprint upon us. They are real and can be very powerful.

Vision for the future. Easter is the greatest feast day of our liturgical year. The Easter Vigil celebration captures for us the wonderful perspective of salvation history, the saving presence of God here and now, and the Resurrection of the Savior whose glorified presence is constantly with us.

Nothing in life can overpower the resurrection of Jesus and our own transformation into a new life with God. No death or tragedy can ever negate our journey to be ultimately forever with the Risen Lord. Easter is a day of joyful hope. Every day we come closer to that moment of rebirth in God’s presence which will be eternal. St. Paul reminds us that “eye has not seen, ear has not heard ... what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Corinthians 2:9). We are an Easter people. Our grateful celebration of Easter should be a reminder and an affirmation of that reality.

I wish to extend to all of you and your families prayerful best wishes for a grace filled Holy Week and a joyful Easter. I also encourage you to participate in the liturgies of this special week. It’s the best way I know of living life to the full.

May God bless you and give you peace.

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