Associate Pastor's Press

He has risen! He has truly risen! Thank you to all those involved in preparing the Church for a special Triduum! Although I was not able to participate in anything at Cathedral, I was blessed to celebrate the Paschal Mystery with so many faithful at Sts. Peter & Paul. Holy Thursday's evening mass was fun! We washed feet and spontaneously invited others to come up for the ritual. There are beautiful moments of grace that make priesthood such a blessing. One such time was during the end of washing the feet. While I was pouring water over a woman's foot she said, "I never thought I would be doing this!" Beautiful. That is what life in Christ is all about. Doing things for Jesus we never thought we'd be doing. The disciples ended up doing things for the Lord they never thought they'd be doing either! Good Friday was prayerful. What struck me about the Good Friday service was the devotion and prayerfulness of the people. I was humbled to be praying alongside Father Tony Dolski, a vetran priest next to the rookie! The passion narratives were moving and confessions afterward were powerful. One woman said that during the service she had an overwelming call to become a sister! Again, the power of the paschal mystery! The passion, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus calls us out of our comfort zones and demands a response! The Easter Vigil was difficult for me because I was not able to preside. You may have been able to notice that! However, it was a blessing to prayer together. Easter Sunday was explosive! Man, that was fun! Between Christmas day and Easter Sunday, I think I'm gunna really love preachin'! It was awesome to get a response out of the pews! I like that! When you can almost dialogue with the congregation like that! Laughing, sharing the Gospel together, and preparing for the breaking of bread together is supernatural! It was funny to forget the dismissal at the end too! The servers did a spectacular job. So now we are celebrating the second Sunday of Easter. St. Paul says in today's second reading, "I was caught up in the Spirit of the Lord's day." Are we caught up in the Spirit? Today, as we celebrate the power of the Risen Christ, are we "caught up?" To be caught up in something is to be immersed in a mystery. As we spin out of the Triduum, celebrate the Octave, let's get caught up in the Spirit these fifty days of Easter! Let's give our lives to Christ and receive His forgiveness and mercy! Let us live in the newness of life! He has risen indeed!