FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear Beloved St. Mary’s Parishioners,
Please keep Fr. Reji in your prayers. He left last Sunday on a much deserved vacation back to his home country of India. He will be away for the next five weeks, returning on May 14th. During that time, we’ll have a rotation of different priests helping me during the weekend Mass schedule. Your patience will be greatly appreciated, especially as you come to confession. The lines will undoubtedly take longer with only one priest on duty. Nevertheless, the mission of the Church remains undaunted, unrelenting, unabashedly bold during this Easter season. Easter is not over; it’s our launching point. As Catholics, the pivotal doctrine of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ takes more than a day to remember. Easter for us lasts until May 19th, when we celebrate Pentecost, that long-awaited, promised gift of the Holy Spirit that descends upon the Twelve Disciples “from heaven like the rush of mighty wind” (Cf. Acts 2:2). This Holy Spirit will transform a fearful and feckless tiny group of believers into a courageous army. They will march into the world, not with swords and shields, but with a transformative message which still changes hearts and minds to this very day – Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead!
What this means is that we no longer have to be afraid. The Christian fears no earthly power or government. The Christian fears no sin that is repented and forgiven. The Christian fears no sickness or even death itself. For us, the mighty Christian, has their “treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in or steal” (Cf. Matthew 6:19-21). We are no longer slaves to this passing world. Our joy, our happiness, is not found here. We firmly believe in all of this for one simple reason – Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead!
We have all died with Christ in baptism; we shall now also rise with him anew into glory (Cf. Romans 6:4). Can you now see why the early Church had a tenacity of unbreakable steel? It all comes back to Jesus Christ. For all of you who suffer in any way, think of the Resurrection. If you feel like you’re about to buckle under the weight of the cross you are carrying, think of the Resurrection. If you feel utterly alone, suffocating by the misery of your circumstances, think of the Resurrection. If you need the strength to truly live this out, may I recommend to you the secret that sustained our ancestors in the face of hardship? It is simply the Holy Eucharist. Yes, that simple piece of bread that we “see” at every single Mass. As we heard in the Gospel passage this Sunday, the two disciples saw someone in the “breaking of the bread.” Hidden behind that boring appearance, is the living, breathing, Jesus Christ, now risen from the dead!
A Slave of Jesus Christ,
Fr. Brian J. Soliven
