April 11, 2004
Easter Life!
What's
With The Tent?
If you passed by the church these last few days you noticed a large
tent on the rectory front lawn. We had it put up so that we could celebrate
Easter Vigil in a special way and fit everyone who wanted to be here.
You see, right after the service of light (the Easter Fire and the lighting
of the candles) we have the Liturgy of the Word -- since people in our
parish understand different languages we needed several places to go
off to so people could hear the readings and the homily in their own
languages. Then we gathered all together for the baptisms, confirmation
and Eucharist. The tent gave us a different place to gather for the
Liturgy of the Word.
Confirmation
Next Week
Please pray for all our candidates for confirmation who will be celebrating
this sacrament with Bishop Dunne next Monday.
At
College?
At St. Brigid’s we like to stay in touch through
e-mail “letters from home.”
Once a person has an e-mail address at school (or if he/she uses a personal
address), please let us know what it is so we can include them when
we write.
Here's a handy college link so you
can send this info online.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
April 4: Palms & Passion
March 28: Plenty Good Room
March 21: More Passion
March 14: Reconciliation
March 7: A sequel from Mel?
Feb 29: Come to
Life!
Feb 22:
An Adventure to Life
Feb15: A rose
by another name?
Feb 8: If at first...
Feb 1: Our Patron Saint
Jan 25:A View From Inside
Jan 18: Our School
Jan 11: Baptism with Fire
Colums from 2003
Columns from 2002
At
the start of Lent I mentioned that I hoped that Mel Gibson would make
a sequel to the film “The Passion of the Christ” featuring
the Resurrection of our Lord and the Pentecost of the church. Though he
hasn’t responded to my suggestion, our church will take the next
fifty days to do our own sequel of new life.
Parents will be bring their children
to first communion. Young people will be confirmed. Baptisms abound! We’ll
be breaking open the stories of the resurrection over the next seven weeks
and come to know the true meaning of why Jesus died for us -- he wants
us to come to life!
This is not just some story of
a promised life to come after we die -- no, this new life in Christ begins
here and now. That’s why he comes back to his apostles after the
resurrection -- he doesn’t wait for them to join him in heaven at
their deaths. He comes back after having been deserted by them and forsaken
by everyone else to bring the message that in him, new life has begun.
It’s the message that Jesus is going to stay around forever -- death
has no claim on him.
May I invite you to do the same? (That is, stay around forever?) For some,
Easter Sunday is a traditional time to come to church and then take a
rest until the next big thing -- a funeral, wedding, baptism, first communion...
For others is part of their regular way to pray to God each week and get
strength to live through the week. For some Easter Sunday is the day on
which they come back to stay. There IS a sequel to the death of Jesus
and it’s being discovered and lived out in the Eucharist, in community,
each week.
On behalf of my brother priests
and all the staff of St. Brigid’s I want to wish you a blessed Easter
Season and the joy of discovering God’s presence in these fifty
holy days ahead.
You are Person
