Dear Friends,
How often on newscasts do we see the report of a procession,
parade or march at some place of heroism or death or in some public place as a
mark of human solidarity. These masses of people, moving in an unrehearsed rhythm all
take place for a reason. They draw attention to an event, celebrate an
occasion, demonstrate support for a cause or in allegiance to a person or an
ideal. Wherever the Pope travels, masses of people gather. So too, after the murders at the Charlie Hebdo office, in
Ferguson, and Staten Island. Last week,
cities broke ranks with winter by marching in the Saint Patrick’s Day parade.
We marched in Selma 50 years after Bloody Sunday.
The purpose of a parade, procession or march is to persuade
the bystander to move in his or her own heart from being a mere onlooker to be
touched by what one sees and hears. “Come with us," we plead wordlessly.
Next Sunday we will recall the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
– a procession that ultimately leads to the cross. Then, on Holy Thursday, we
process with Jesus from the upper room and the last supper to a vigil, where we
will wait with him and pray, in remembrance of his own prayer before being
arrested. That night, we process with Jesus to his trials. We witness the total
self- gift of the One whose love is never ending and whose promise is that we
are never alone.
On Good Friday, a cross is carried in procession through our
streets and through our churches, a reminder that Jesus carried his own cross
to death. Can there be a more poignant,
dramatic or challenging sign of the depth of God’s love?
On Holy Saturday night, at the Easter Vigil, a lighted
candle is carried in procession up the same aisle where the day before the
cross had been carried. Now the candle proclaims for all to see that God had
indeed triumphed over evil. Darkness and death have been destroyed.
To the casual observer, this week makes little sense. Nor
will it ever make sense, if we only stand by, watching unmoved. The Liturgies
of Holy Week invite us to walk with Jesus during these astounding days when the
generosity of God toward us human beings is revealed so dramatically. As we
walk with Him and one another, we attempt to understand what Jesus was feeling
and thinking during these hours.
To do so is to be caught up in the experience of death on
the cross as it becomes a way to life. We can imagine Jesus saying to us “Wonder with me that what looks like
defeat is really victory, and that my horizon, apparently limited like yours,
is shattered, once and for all.” And incredibly, the processions, parades and
marches of our own life comes into focus. We see the year that’s been, the
people who have come and gone, the shape of our lives made more in conformity
with that of Jesus, or not. We can’t see any of it without walking alongside
Jesus to all those places and experiences which made his death a worthy
preparation for His being raised up.
Together, let us step off and be on our way.
~Sister Joan Sobala
PS. Get yourself ready for Holy week..join us for one of these Fresh Wind Programs!
PS. Get yourself ready for Holy week..join us for one of these Fresh Wind Programs!
Monday, March 23 7 to 8:30 pm
Guided by Sister Joan Sobala
Topic: The Passion According to Mark: An evening’s study.
Saturday, March 28 10 to 2:00 pm
Guided by Sister Mary Louise Heffernan
Topic: Living the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy
Saturday. Find out how scripture, music,
art and poetry can help us prepare for these central days.
Donation: $35
Preregistration required. Call
Sr. Mary Louise at 585 641.8403
