Through a particularly difficult, but beneficially so (at least for me), Lenten Season, we made it to Easter. Alleluia, alleluia!
Lent is difficult. Not only because of our fasting, prayer and almsgiving, but deep down; spiritually – Lent is a battle. During Lent we share to some degree in Christ’s spiritual battle as he “set his face for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51) to be the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world. This Lent seemed, at least for some of us, even more difficult due to the unusually wet winter. This hardship, as well as the disciplines of Lent both personal and spiritual, helped make this year’s Easter celebration extra joy-filled.
As the weather turns nicer and we move more into spring, the Church gives us readings which teach us more about our gospel faith in Jesus Christ, but also about the activities of the first Christians. Sunday’s first readings are taken from the Acts of the Apostles – pay particular attention to them. They tell the story of amazing miracles as well as the sufferings endured by the early Christians.
Today, it seems ever more easy to take our faith for granted. Many, many people are simply dismissing it altogether as irrelevant. A great contributor to this is the way we think today. Great and small decisions these days are often made via our feelings rather than through reason, and just as the philosopher Plato warned more than 2000 years ago, feelings do not make for sound decisions – they are just too fluid. Sentiment takes precedence over thinking through the “telos” or end of what our decision will lead to, and our lives like a rudderless ship, end up going nowhere. Also today there is a great spiritual battle for souls. Will we serve God or manna? A growing philosophy being promoted today serves an economic model. Peace, contentment and personal happiness comes from by getting our immediate needs met. Our pleasures are to be served and personal suffering is seen as needless. This perspective is directly behind the advancement of assisted suicide. Suffering is needless, and caring for the dying is expensive. Why suffer? Except to, as the Church teaches, help us to grow in humanity by ‘suffering with’ the suffering; the very definition of com-passion.
Why do I write of suffering at Easter? Isn’t this supposed to be a season of joy? I write to help us appreciate the milieu we live in. And how can we truly appreciate the faith of the first Christians if we don’t recognize that we, like them, find our joy in suffering for and boldly proclaiming our faith in Christ? Jesus is there, powerfully there for us in these days of great trial for His Church. Let us all count on this.
Switching gears to a topic more joyful perhaps, last Saturday morning our parish once again had the opportunity to participate in “Get on the Bus.” In this program children and their guardians get on buses from the southland of California and Arizona to come to Dublin to visit with their mothers who are serving time at the local Federal Correctional Institute (FCI). They travel all night on bus and arrive here at dawn for a rest stop and breakfast before going to the nearby FCI for a reunion to see mom. What is so beautiful about “Get on the Bus” is the outpouring of love that our parishioners and parish groups shower on these travelers. The Knights of Columbus prepare a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage, oatmeal, fruit, orange juice and coffee. Our youth are there in great numbers to welcome them, serve them and help the children with hand-made crafts to give to their mothers. It is simply beautiful to be a witness to. Kudos to all who participated in “Get on the Bus” this year!
Finally, on Saturday May 13th we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s apparition in Fatima, Portugal. We will have activities for children in the hall from 3:00pm to 4:45pm and a rosary procession beginning at 4:00pm on the plaza leading to 5:00 Mass. To learn more about what happened 100 years ago in Fatima, go to our online gift to you Formed.org (see the parish website for login information if needed) and check out the movie “The 13th Day” or the program “Divine Mercy.” Our Mother, Mary, always leads us to a closer relationship with her son, Jesus. Come to know her more intimately, especially this May as we celebrate her special month and 100 years since her appearance to three young children in Fatima.
God bless you and know of my prayers for you.
Fr. Lawrence D’Anjou