April 4, 2015
The strife is o’er, the battle done;
Now is the Victor’s triumph won;
O let the song of praise be sung:
Alleluia!
Happy Easter, everyone!
Those lyrics are especially apt for those of you who through the 40 days of Lent and the high drama of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum have sought to join your joys and sufferings to those of Christ, and allow the love and mercy of God the Father to save you and set you free.
The new life in Christ that comes at Easter is a perpetual reminder for all of us that when things are at their darkest, the sun rises again. Situations that looked grim the week before don’t seem quite so bad after all in the light of the Resurrection of Christ. Even for those who might have mailed it in these past six weeks have to admit that there is something about Easter that gives one fresh perspective and hope.
What I am hopeful about? Here’s a few Paulist things:
- Paulists have been criss-crossing the United States and Canada preaching Lenten missions to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. I imagine all the good seed that has been planted and will bear fruit in the Easter season and beyond.
- I am excited for all those who have journeyed with us in RCIA programs and will be initiated into the Catholic Church this Easter Vigil. They will bring new life to our community of faith.
- 18 men attended the recent “Come & See” Vocation Retreat in Washington, D.C. It was a positive and enthusiastic experience for all. There is new energy and excitement for the mission of the Paulists.
- Father Mark-David Janus, CSP, president and publisher of Paulist Press, presented Pope Francis with the new book Pope Francis’ Revolution of Tenderness and Love written By Cardinal Walter Kasper. This book will help shape the conversation for the upcoming Synod of the Family, Part II.
- Father Gilbert Martinez, CSP – pastor of the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, the Paulist mother church located in New York City – also accompanied Father Janus and presented the Pope with reflections from the parish’s gay and lesbian young adults for the upcoming synod.
- Our parish schools in Austin, Chicago, Knoxville, Los Angeles and San Francisco continue to be vibrant centers of evangelization.
- Notre Dame University will bestow an honorary doctorate on Father Thomas Stransky, CSP, for his critical role at the Second Vatican Council, his ministry in the Holy Land at the Tantur Ecumencial Institute, and his many contributions to ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.
- Excitement is building among Paulists for a special retreat to be held in late June for the Year of Consecrated Life. The topic is: Gratitude for our Past, Passion for our Present and Hope for our Future.
- A new vision for our Paulist formation is blooming in Washington, D.C. Plans for a new house in Washington to serve as a center for mission and formation are coming together. Father John Ardis, CSP, has been appointed to spearhead the efforts to lead the advancement of this effort.
Amidst all of these Spirit-led activities of the Paulist Fathers is amazing news that Pope Francis has called for an extraordinary jubilee year of mercy to begin this December on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8. This, in addition to his first visit to the United States in September, will make a huge impact on Catholics in America. Pope Francis said he is “convinced that the whole Church can find in this jubilee the joy of rediscovering and making fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and every woman of our time.”
What a great opportunity for all of us to reflect on how much we are loved by God and how much that mercy and compassion needs to be shared to make our world a kinder and more peaceful place!
That’s my hopeful list. What’s yours? Be sure to share it!
On behalf of all the Paulist Fathers, blessings and peace to you this Easter Season!