Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Alleluia! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
On behalf of the Franciscan Friars and our lay staff, I wish you all a very happy Easter! This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad! I pray that you and your loved ones will feel the joy and excitement of this singular day in the Church’s annual celebration of the Lord’s resurrection. Indeed, every Sunday is a celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, but Easter is the Sunday of Sundays.
Due to the vicissitudes of bulletin deadlines, I am writing this letter fully ten days before you will read it, and the temperature is hovering in the 30’s with a strong, brisk wind blowing. I look across the street from the Franciscan Center and I see the yearly blooms of daffodils bravely holding their own against freezing temperatures, even though we’ve been enjoying unseasonably mild weather throughout the month of March. Easter being a bit early this year, I just hope we won’t have a sudden return to winter.
Nevertheless, the daffodils and forsythia remind us once again of the never-ending cycle of nature. After the cold and snows of winter, there is always the promise of springtime and bursting forth of new life. I am reminded of the words of a lovely anthem by John Rutter which our choir sings on occasion: “Look at the world.”
Look at the world, everything all around us:
Look at the world, and marvel every day.
Look at the world, so many joys and wonders;
So many miracles along our way.
Praise to thee, O Lord, for all creation,
Give us thankful hearts, that we may see:
All the gifts we share, and every blessing;
All things come of thee.
Look at the earth bringing forth fruit and flower;
Look at the sky, the sunshine and the rain;
Look at the hills, look at the trees and mountains,
Valley and flowing river, field and plain…
As we look around the world, there is so much beauty to behold – natural beauty – that delights us and raises our spirits. On a recent visit to Elizabeth Park I noticed a group of volunteers getting the tulip garden ready for the time when the blooms open up and practically shout: “Look at me!”
But we must also look around the world and see much that is not beautiful, where death and destruction seem to hold sway. Ukraine. Gaza. Haiti. Wherever there is conflict, violence and war there is no beauty. Except…
Except where there are people who will not allow death and ugliness to overwhelm the earth. People who will not rest until every child can go to sleep in their own bed and their hunger satisfied.
As Christians who profess our faith in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we are people of hope who cannot rest until the kingdom of God is made fully manifest. That takes perseverance, hard work and trust in a God who will not allow death to have the final word.
In the meantime, here at the corner of Church and Ann Uccello Streets, there are men and women who share that sentiment. Once again, I express my thanks for all that you do for each other in a spirit of selfless service. You are the presence of the risen Lord to one another, but especially to those whose lives are often filled with despair and desperation.
I am grateful, too, for those who give of your time, talent, and treasure to support the work and upkeep of our parish, especially our liturgical ministers and musicians; our gardeners and hospitality ministers; our sandwich makers and distributors; our knitters and crocheters; our artists and handiworkers; our volunteers of every stripe who help when and wherever they are called upon. All of you make this place a joy-filled place of love and the presence of the Lord who has raised us up with him. As St. Paul says: “Let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M., Pastor