Living the Easter Mystery

As we observe the Octave of Easter, I am profoundly aware of having lived the days of the sacred Paschal Triduum – Holy Thursday to Easter night – in their fullness and very much in community. 

On Holy Thursday, as three of the Elect in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults presented the blessed oils—the Oil of the Catechumens, Sacred Chrism, Oil of the Infirm—to the assembly, it was clear that they’ve found their spiritual home at St. Joe’s.

One of those presenters was Adam Welz. When Adam said he had promised his daughter that he would learn about becoming Catholic when she first dipped her toe into Faith Formation for children, the RCIA team prayed he would embrace the process not only for his family but for himself—that he would enter into his own relationship with Jesus Christ. And how beautifully that process unfolded over time as he pondered the meaning of the Scriptures and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church! To see his expression of joy as he was immersed in the waters of Baptism at the Easter Vigil, to watch him reach out and embrace his pastor in love and gratitude, was a great moment of faith. Only to be followed so joyfully by the Baptism of the children of Nicole and Brian Diehl, Chase and Lauren. 

A first in our experience of preparing candidates for the Easter Vigil was the five candidates—Nicole Diehl, Ginia Falcon, Dan Henry, Jim King and Vince Tassone—deciding to memorize and rehearse the Profession of Faith together. They proudly professed the faith of our Church, in full voice and in unison.

Completing the profound experience of the Triduum was an Easter day visit with our long-time parishioner, St. Joseph School faculty member and librarian, and dear friend, Mary Malone. Joan Doyle and I went to Shepherd Home to pray with Mary and bring Holy Communion. It was Mary’s prayer that this be Viaticum, her final reception of Holy Communion before going home to God. And so we prayed the Easter-filled prayers of Viaticum with Mary. When it came time for her to receive, her weakened body could not have taken a full host and so we broke the bread. Mary received a tiny bit of the Body of Christ; her beloved Joan received the rest. Mary said little but as always her loving spirit and gratitude for the presence of the Lord in her life came through in her gaze. Indeed, Jesus took her home as the sun was setting on Easter day and the Paschal Triduum drew to a close. 

The darkness of Good Friday gave way to God’s eternal light.

We know the angels were there to greet you, Mrs. Malone. Rest easy knowing there are newly received Catholics and countless children at St. Joseph’s who will do their best to fill the void you leave in our community and in our hearts. 

Blessings,

Cathy

Cross of Perfection

On this Holy Thursday, at Morning Prayer, I had the sacred privilege of sharing a reflection on a few powerful lines of Scripture:

We see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death, he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,” that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. Hebrews 2: 9-10

This passage from this morning’s Liturgy of the Hours might well be inscribed on the Crucifix and mosaic in the St. Joseph’s sanctuary.  Why is the painful image of Jesus hanging from the cross set against a backdrop of shimmering gold? It is the ultimate paradox. Jesus is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death for our sake in such a horrific, violent, barbaric way.

God the Father did, indeed, makes his Son perfect through suffering. What does the author of Hebrews mean here by “perfect?” Rather than our superficial notion of a perfect score or perfect human achievement, in the New Testament this word is used to describe a person who fulfills their purpose or matures into the role God has in mind for them. In the early Church it described someone who had completed the catechumenate and was ready to be baptized into the faith community.

Jesus is made perfect so that he can lead all of us into the salvation God has waiting for us. Through his human suffering, Jesus embraces his identity with us, sympathizes with our pain and suffering, and now he knows how he can lead us to new life.

All of our pain and suffering pales in comparison. Yet, our setbacks in life serve a similar purpose. They allow us to join ourselves in deeper union with Jesus; our setbacks allow us to know each other’s pain and suffering so that we can lead each other through it. 

The spiritual writer Richard Rohr has shared a number of thoughts on this subject in his daily emails leading up to Holy Week. Among them is the idea that if we are not transformed by our suffering then we will surely transmit our suffering to others. (Isn't that the truth?) On the other hand, transformed people, he says, transform other people.

On this Holy Thursday, as we get ready to celebrate the Paschal Triduum, and as we prepare to welcome many into our Catholic churches, what is the model of suffering and salvation that Jesus asks us to imitate? Are we people who transmit suffering or are we people who are transformed by suffering so that we can transform others?

Pope Francis wrote in the Joy of the Gospel, “How beautiful it is to stand before the Crucifix, simply to be under the Lord’s gaze, so full of love.” What a beautiful invitation to stand before the Crucifix in these days. By the grace of God, may we be transformed in love for others.

When the one you love is sick

Father Jim Schwartz’s homily on the raising of Lazarus this past weekend at St. Joseph’s caused me to reflect as he did on illness in my family. He pondered why he is blessed with good health when his older brother Bill suffered complications of lupus that took his life, and his sister Sue has struggled with M.S. for the past 45 years.

In my family, we have puzzled over the extraordinary good health that most of us enjoy. You might say we come from “good stock.”  My mom lived a very full 90 years; my dad was the picture of health until  lung cancer in his late 70s. Of my siblings and cousins, we seem to go through life unscathed – that is until the past year or so.

Last year we lost my cousin Chip, very quickly and much too soon, following a cancer diagnosis. My niece Christine’s husband Mike was diagnosed with brain cancer in the past year, and has endured several surgeries. My oldest niece Debra was diagnosed with breast cancer at Christmas time, has had two surgeries, and is now at the beginning of a significant treatment protocol. Like so many families, we are learning how to cope with serious illness and now puzzle over why these wonderful, good young people, their spouses and children, must endure such pain and difficulty.

Here in Rochester, my mother-in-law Rosemary is dealing with significant lymphedema and complications of a variety of medical issues.

It is “at these times that we realize all depends on God,” Fr. Jim preached. At times when “the one we love” struggles with illness or loss, we become very aware of both our need for God, and our need to embrace each other.

Whether in family, and/or the community we find when we come together to worship God in faith, indeed it is times like these when we find opportunities to grow in trust in our loving God, and in closeness and love with one another.

May we always pray for each other’s family members—those suffering illness and those blessed with the good health to care for the ones who are ill. God gives each of us what we need to get through it all together.

Blessings