Be Moved By Holy Week

 

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!

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

 

Celebrating Saints and How it Can Bolster our Faith

Dear Friends,

Within the next two weeks, we are offered for our friendship and inspiration:  Patrick (March 17), Joseph (March 19) and Oscar Romero (March 24).

Three episodes in Matthew’s Gospel tell the highlights of Joseph’s story at the time of the annunciation, through his travels with Mary and Jesus  to and from Egypt, and with relief at the finding of Jesus in the temple. “ Joseph was led by his dreams. His dreams were not always clear or easy. They eventually changed his heart.” (Sr. Madeleva, csj)  In these three, mind and heart-stretching times, the silent Joseph nonetheless reminds us of his belief, confident that only good would come out of the situations in which he found himself.

As a slave, a priest and a bishop, Patrick suffered all sorts of setbacks. Opposition to Patrick’s efforts were strong. Some believed his education was defective. He was criticized in both England and Ireland  for the way he conducted his mission, and in Ireland itself, he came up against the powerful druid leaders, who had a strong hold on the hearts of the people. Patrick showed the Irish the love of God so that the Gospel  he preached was felt as well as heard.

Finally, we come to Oscar Romero, our contemporary (d. 1980), who will be canonized in May. He is the only martyr in our trilogy of March saints. Oscar Romero, the Bishop of San Salvador was himself converted to speak out on behalf of the poor through the martyrdom of his Jesuit friend, Rutillo Grande. Not long after, Romero was gunned down by a government  marksman while saying Mass.  The motive?  His decree for canonization says Romero was killed because of “hatred  of the faith.”  “As a shepherd,” Romero said, “I am obliged to give my life for those I love, for the entire Salvadoran people, including those Salvadorans who threaten to assassinate me. If they should go so far as to carry out their threats, I want you to know that I now offer my blood to God for justice and the resurrection of El Salvador.”

Joseph, Patrick and Oscar were each confident in his own way that God was faithful and would not abandon them as they came to a new, unexpected moment. They lived their lives grappling with demons that could destroy their faith ,integrity and loved ones. They did not fail. It’s almost as though thy each heard the voice of God saying “Do not be afraid." They were not.  Today we celebrate their undaunted faith, their unflagging belief that God would be their helmsman  and guide.

This dreary cold month, when we want to turn inward instead of outward, let’s walk hand in hand with these three faithful men into our own personal futures where God continues to offer us dreams to guide us, partners to help us make our way and the divine embrace that can be depended upon.

~Sister Joan Sobala

PS. Join us for some Fresh Wind Programs in the next few weeks as well.

Tuesday, March 17: Learn different ways to pray with Sister Mary Louise Heffernan at the SSJ Motherhouse from 10-11:15.  Call Sr. Mary Louise if you plan to come at 641-8403.

Wednesday, March 18: Bishop Matthew Clark joins us at the Motherhouse to talk about the Synod on the Family and how the makeup of contemporary families and the Catholic Church relate. The conversation is at the Motherhouse from 7-8:30pm.  All welcome to both events!

What Moves You?

Dear Friends,

What are you passionate about? What energizes you?  Moves you to action? Work? Success? Sports? Family? Kids? Travel? The news of the day?

 Does God have anything to do with this absorbing lifestyle? This question leaves us uneasy .Our day-to-day experience seems to be “Here is God” on the one hand,  and on the other hand “Here is my life.” Do they connect. Should they connect? How can they connect?

We live on many levels: emotional, intellectual, artistic, down-to- earth. But for us as Christians, these elements of life are interwoven with a spiritual reality. That reality emerges from our life in Christ. It begins with the baptism that permeates, highlights and colors our whole being, if we let it. All the things and people we cherish, all we are passionate about in life is rooted in our relationship with God. God is our undeniable, indispensable partner of our lives. We don’t bring God into our work, play, study as an add- on. God is in our DNA – God is in the fabric of our being, in every move we make, in every thought we have, in every  word  we speak. When we come to that profound realization, we live life with passion as Jesus did.

We see his passion displayed in a public way in the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent (B cycle).  Jesus went up to the temple where he found an age old practice of scamming the poor played out again. On high holy days, people would purchase an animal to be offered as sacrifice. There were two locations where animals could be purchased: one was outside the temple precincts, where the prices were moderate and which the poor could afford, the second location was inside the temple gates. Once inside, the poor who had purchased their offerings outside were told these were unacceptable, They would have to purchase another animal inside. Are you surprised that the proceeds from the inside sales were shared between the vendors and the temple officials? Likewise, the moneychangers were involved and got their cut.

This is what made Jesus furious. The poor were being mistreated, taken advantage of. Watching Jesus, his disciples recalled the words from Psalm 69.10: “Zeal for your house consumes me.”

Jesus was passionate about his Father’s house, about honesty and integrity  and the poor.

Again, what are we passionate about? What consumes us? As we move deeper into Lent, mulling over Jesus’ zeal and our own passions can give us new insight into our own intertwined Christian and personal  lives and help us to want to fire up with others our world’s possibilities for the good and the holy. 

Sister Joan Sobala

PS. I'll be in Auburn, NY this Saturday, March 14 at Saint Alphonsus Church for a special presentation beginning with Mass at 4pm and a Lenten supper.  We'll talk about how the "God of Surprises Calls Us."