Dear Family,
Over the years, the CHEER of people who make the Emmaus Retreat experience is what you see above: Jesus Christ is Risen. He is Risen, Indeed!
What a great act of faith. Yet that act of faith is the expression and the hope of everything we are, and everything we seek for all eternity.
Our act of faith is important right now. Each of us has had tragedies and fears and unknowns to deal with in our lives, but rarely – if ever – did we all have them at the same time.
As I write early (for the bulletin deadline) on April 3rd, our county has been shut down for eight days, thanks to wise county officials. (I wish the whole state had been brought to closure as quickly.)
How sad I am that our sanctuary doors were closed for Holy Week and Easter. There have been broadcasts of various celebrations on television and computer, but it’s not the same as giving holy elbow bumps to your own fellow parishioners in your own sacred space.
As soon as I start getting in one of those “poor us” moments, Jesus sends me a vision of homeless people. The food bank at Blessed Sacrament won’t be able to get food from us. Patricia Burke works with Steve Flood (a saint for our times) and she told me they had stocks for a few weeks. I promised her our financial support to buy stuff when they need to restock.
With any kind of luck, later today (April 3) Patricio and his son Nicholas will have hung the banners Signarama made for us. Our cross also went up outside and we’ll be posting those pictures. Hopefully, you already saw them in the LIFE AT ST. SEBASTIAN emails we’ve been sending.
Those banners will one day hang in the Main Sanctuary to celebrate our return. Then I hope they will find a permanent home in the parish hall. They will symbolize a part of our history that won’t long be forgotten.
Some of your regulars who are here at Easter may also remember a story which has become something of a parish tradition. It’s the story about Father Brown, who went to the classroom full of eight year-olds and asked them, what is the first thing they thought Jesus said when he came out of the tomb... They thought, and finally, little Jimmy in the back stood up, and with arms outthrust, said, “Ta Da.”
I’m embarrassed to tell you that I can’t remember who gave me a new t-shirt recently, but I thought maybe I’d share it with you now since I can’t show it to you on Easter.
We live our Easter faith in the shade of the Cross, and we ask Jesus – together – to bring us with him into the Light of Hope.
A Blessed Healing Easter, In Jesus
