WITH GREAT POWER THE APOSTLES BORE WITNESS TO THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS.
This key announcement is from the Mass this past Tuesday. It’s core to what Easter is about. It came after Monday’s Gospel when Jesus tells Nicodemus “You must be born again from water and the Spirit”—Baptism (John 3). So after their Baptism walking with Jesus, it wasn’t just a ritual moment and then their lives went on as before. They lived now in a new way, because they had died with Christ and risen with Him. Their new risen life which bore witness to the Resurrection of Jesus in their own hearts included: “They were of one heart and mind………………………………………………………………….. no one claimed any-
thing as his own, they held everything in common….. there was no one needy among them, for they
sold property and houses and laid the proceeds at the foot of the apostles and they were distributed to each one according to need.” (Acts 4)
This may be a somewhat idealistic characterization of their life together, but it was intended to announce to those around them that the Resurrection had changed their way of living. So this is our goal: to understand that we’ve died with Christ, and we’re free to live a new life—one that can surprise, even startle those around us.
This is what I call upon us to do now for the whole Easter Season, a 50 day period of rejoicing
in and appropriating our new life—that is, each of us taking it inside ourselves, calling ourselves to live in faith in the Lord’s Resurrection and to live in the confidence and charity we would expect to see in believers. 2 weeks of this season are up already! So let’s get living.
The ACA is getting into full gear. It’s a great way to live out this new life: setting our proceeds at the feet of the Archbishop to distribute to the needs of others. These funds also come back to serve our parish in a variety of ways.
Monday we had an extensive Staff Meeting dealing with recapping the Holy Week and Easter services, ongoing monitoring of pandemic issues (no changes in the near time) and school issues. On that last, we feel the effect of not having gatherings of parents during this restricted year. With all health protocols in place, we’ll gather Monday evening in the gym, and be able to tour areas like our new STREAM Lab and Innovation Studio and visit briefly with teachers. We also have to see to the transition of the great volunteer work by longtime parents to new parents in the school.
The next two weeks some of our weekday Mass times will be converted to a Communion Service, alternating weeks between the two Masses. At the Mass, we actively participate in the consecration of bread and wine into Jesus’ body and blood; at the Communion Service we simply receive the previously consecrated Body of Christ. Msgr. Blood will be on his first break since December, and then I on my first break since July. Two of our frequent guest priests are unavailable at least for a while, and could use our prayers. We’ve reached out to nearby priests but they’re also not available. It’s not an ideal substitute, but it allows us to be together at a usual time, and we will strive to have one of the two weekday Masses each day if we can. We will reschedule the Mass intention when
a Communion Service is used, and notify whoever gave the Mass offering if we can.
Saturday this weekend we’ve just had our First Communion, after this column’s deadline, so I’ll comment more next week. I’ve taught lessons myself to our school and PSR classes, and I’m always filled with life by their faith and joy at Jesus in this sacrament. So if you want to know what the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is, ask a 2nd Grader.