The question is asked often enough that it should cause
priests and parents to ponder, “Why do I have to go to Church?”
We celebrated Holy Week last week; this week we observe Easter
week, “a week of Sundays.” The Ordo, an official publication which guides
our celebrations day by day, says:
The days of the Easter Octave form
the “early hours” of this “Great Sunday” with accounts of the Lord who rose
early in the morning, and the early preaching of the disciples who were
witnesses to his resurrection. The first
eight days of the Easter Season make up the octave of Easter and are celebrated
as Solemnities of the Lord. At Mass, Morning Prayer and Vespers, throughout
the octave, a double alleluia is added to the dismissal and its response…. Easter Preface #1 is used throughout the
Octave of Easter, (as is the Gloria.)
This is a very holy time of the year for us. But “holy time”
is somewhat foreign to many of our contemporaries. They think of time as past,
present and future; and argue for its universal flatness. There are no special
moments in that schema. My sister, for instance, works for a company that uses
a calendar that simply counts the days from one to 365. For them today is Day
113 of 2014. Time goes from nowhere to
nowhere. In ancient Greek this time is known as chronos. Its opposite is kairos.
Kairos is meaningful
time. It may be translated as “opportune time.” When Jesus announced the Kingdom
of God he said,” The kairos is
fulfilled.”
Easter Week is an opportune time for us. It is the richest, most grace-filled, exhilarating and satisfying week of the year. Every day we hear another wonderful story of Jesus' resurrection. As of Easter Sunday we also begin a fifty-day sequence of readings from the Acts of the Apostles. We learn from their story what it means to know Jesus and to be filled with his Holy Spirit. Why do we attend Mass on Sunday? Because the time is right; the opportunity is there. Since the Day Jesus broke bread with his disciples in Emmaus, we have never missed a Sunday Mass. How could anyone turn down such an opportunity, especially when we know the time is short?
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.