Daily Thoughts: “To be
evangelizers of souls, we need to develop a spiritual taste for being close to
people’s lives and to discover that this is itself a source of greater joy.
Mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for his people. When we
stand before Jesus crucified, we see the depth of his love which exalts and
sustains us, but at the same time, unless we are blind, we begin to realize
that Jesus’ gaze, burning with love, expands to embrace all his people. We
realize once more that he wants to make use of us to draw closer to his beloved
people. He takes us from the midst of his people and he sends us to his people;
without this sense of belonging we cannot understand our deepest identity.”
(Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel)
Pope Francis’ words remind us today of
what the Cross is all about. He asks us to stand before the Cross of Christ
today. He asks us to see and feel the depth of God’s love, of Jesus’ love for
us. We are reminded that Christ’s love cannot remain just within us but that it
is to be shared!
As I think about John’s Passion today
and the other readings (Isaiah 52: 13- 53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5: 7-9; John 18:
1-19:42) that we encounter in today’s liturgy my thoughts take me back to my
teenage years. I remember as a teenager several Good Fridays I sat in my
bedroom and played the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar from 12 noon to 3 pm.
It was my way as a teenager to think about the events of Good Friday before
going with my family in the evening to church to celebrate the liturgy of the
Lord's Passion. I listened to the words of the songs and pictured the story of
Jesus' passion and death. I thought about all the characters involved in the
story. I listened to them explain their actions and express their struggles and
sorrow. It was liturgy – it was prayer – for me at that time of my life.
I am sure some people might cringe at my
teenage Good Friday experience, perhaps thinking Jesus Christ Superstar was
just a musical fad of the 1970's, something that was disrespectful or
irreverent to this great story, something that was another sign that my
generation was not faithful to the tradition, we were not faithful to what was
holy, true and good. There was a lot of controversy around Jesus Christ
Superstar especially when it came out as a play and movie. (A note of trivia the
first authorized performance of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar took
place on July 11, 1971, in front of an audience of 13,000 people at the Civic
Area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.) Yet as a high school and college student it
was a way for me to understand my faith, to experience my faith and to put my
faith into the context of my own life, it was the liturgy of the Lord's Passion
for me.
I think we all need to find our own way
of connecting to the Passion story. We have to find our own way to understand,
to feel, the mystery of Jesus' Passion. We have to make the connection with the
characters of the story and with Jesus. We might not understand but we need to
make the connection, we need to feel the story. We need to find our own liturgy
sometimes.
As a teenager Jesus Christ Superstar
helped me to feel the story, to make the connection. I knew it was just
someone's interpretation of the Gospels. I knew that the songs were not the
real story. I knew that this is not how the events happened but for me at that
moment of my life it was the best way to make the journey with Jesus. It was
the way to feel connected. It was a way to pray. It was a way to honor and keep
holy Good Friday.
At this point in life I keep Good Friday
holy in a much differently. I am blessed and honored to be a Passionist and a
priest so often I am privileged to lead a community in the liturgy of the
Lord's Passion or like this year I have the honor of preaching, of sharing the
Good News on this day. Yet even today my thoughts often go back to my days as a
teenager sitting in my room or lying on my bed following the story, being
touched by the music, being overwhelmed by God's love for me. Perhaps those
Good Friday's long ago are the very reason why I am a Passionist, a priest, a man
of faith today!
My friends in faith, however you
remember the Lord's Passion of this Good Friday my prayer for you is that the
Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ will always be in your heart!
Good Friday peace and blessings to all!
I hope you will at least make a visit to Church today, take a little time to
sit before the Cross of Christ, and remember God’s great love for you!
Daily Prayers: Today I offer
you two simple little prayers to guide you through this day. The first comes
from our Passionist tradition it is a simple prayer we utter each day - "May the Passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ be always in our hearts!"
The second prayer was write by the great
Jesuit theologian Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J. - "The
Cross of My Lord, Be my Standard, Be my Comfort, Be the Answer to all dark
questions, The Light of all nights, The Sign that You have chosen us, The
mysterious and sure Sign that we are Yours for eternity. Amen."
A Runner's Thoughts: If we truly
want to be a spiritual runner then we must remember that with every time we run
we embark on a path were we can expect
surprises, missteps, little jumps and sometimes great leaps toward a personal
understanding of God.
Daily Blessing: Good Friday greetings
and blessings to all! I trust you had a blessed Holy Thursday and were able to
find a little time to connect with God. I know many of you probably have to
work today but hopefully you will be able to take at least find a few moments
of quiet to make holy this Good Friday. If you can at least try to make a visit
to a church and sit for a little while before the Cross of Christ and remember
that God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son that would be great.
If you can attend the Lord’s Passion Service that would be excellent, it is one
of the simplest and most beautiful liturgies that we have as a Church.
Last night I celebrated with the faith
community at Our Lady of Perpetual help in the Pelham Manor and had the honor
of preaching the Good Word. The parish had a special dinner before the
Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper. It was very well done. The dinner was in
silence with music and readings throughout the meal. The Eucharist of the Lord’s
Supper was a very prayerful celebration and I was able to stay for a while
after the mass was over to just pray before the Reposition Altar.
Today I will return to OLPH for their Good
Friday Service at 3 pm. Once again I will be preaching. There is no other place
I would want to be than proclaiming the Good News on Good Friday. I am truly a
blessed Passionist today!
May prayer of blessing today is simply
that somehow today you are touch by the magnanimous love of God. That you are
blessed with the grace to believe in God’s love. A love that is ground in our
friendship with Jesus because there is no greater love than for someone to lay
down his life for his friends, Jesus laid down his life today for us, his
friends. I send my prayers and I ask God's blessings upon all of you and your
loved ones. May the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ be always in our hearts!
Peace in Christ's Passion today and always...Fr. Paul
PS Check back throughout the day as I
pray the Stations of the Cross on line. Perhaps you can take some time to pray
with me!
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