Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Last week’s celebration of Mardi Gras during our monthly Community Sunday was a wonderful, fun time for everyone who filled the Franciscan Center after the 8:00 and 10:00 AM Masses. The live music, provided by Larry Gareau and his band, was especially popular. As one parishioner said to me in an email afterwards, “The joy was evident in the smiling faces of young and old … I heard positive comments in regard to the decorations and live jazz music which added a special touch … The music transported me to a place of comfort and joy. I am grateful for this gift of live music offered to us today.”
I’d like to thank everyone involved in last Sunday’s “super” celebration, including our Open Hearts LGBT Ministry for the decorations and setup, our hospitality team who helped with serving the food and for cleanup afterwards, and of course, Larry and the band for lifting our spirits with music.
So, here I sit, contemplating the memory of a great celebratory weekend, while waiting for an impending snow storm as well as Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. And I’m thinking about rainbows.
There is something comforting and uplifting in today’s readings for the First Sunday of Lent, especially in Cycle B. The first reading, from the book of Genesis, speaks about God’s covenant with Noah after the great flood. God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of that covenant, in which God promised never to destroy mortal beings again. So, rainbows are usually thought of as signs of hope and promise.
They are also very rare and elusive, and I can’t remember the last time I saw one in person. I do remember seeing photos of a “double” rainbow that appeared in London (and Windsor) following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. Folks were speculating that the second arc (just barely visible in the photo below) alluded to the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who had died in 2021.
I suspect that England is a good place to see rainbows, given its rainy climate and sudden bursts of sunlight following a shower. A rainbow is a beautiful gift of nature caused by sunlight being refracted through water droplets. It can also be caused by a prism of glass. Speaking of London, I was attending a service in Westminster Abbey one time, and I suddenly noticed a rainbow clearly visible on a nearby stone pillar. I looked around, and realized that it was created by the sun shining through a crystal chandelier!
Signs and symbols are important to us as Christians. Because a rainbow contains the full spectrum of light (remember your physics classes and Roy G. Biv?), we can easily associate a rainbow with God, the source of all light. Thus, a rainbow can symbolize God’s presence and grace in our world. It can also mean that darkness will turn to light and life will conquer death. All those elements are part of the Paschal Mystery which we will celebrate at the culmination of this season of Lent during the Sacred Triduum.
Many songs about rainbows exist because rainbows are a universal symbol of hope, beauty, and wonder; just think of Judy Garland. As I read recently, “They are often used as a metaphor for positivity, optimism, and the promise of better things to come. The vibrant colors and fleeting nature of rainbows make them a powerful and evocative image that songwriters often use to convey feelings of joy, renewal, and optimism.”
May the Lord Jesus lead you through the season of Lent with a spirit of hope and the promise of a springtime of rebirth. And keep your eyes open for a rainbow – you never know when one will appear!
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M., Pastor