The scripture readings for Holy Week and Easter Sunday are familiar to us as we read them each year. However, reflecting on these readings is now far from the familiar. This year, I am not sitting in Our Lady of Angels Chapel with a large group of Sisters all sharing warm greetings, ritual, liturgy, song, prayer, community, Easter Joy. Suddenly, this is not the familiar. 

This year, I celebrate Holy Week and Easter with a new insight, with a deeper appreciation and gratitude for ALL the ways I experience Holy Week and RESURRECTION during this Global Pandemic.

The number one song on my playlist is “You Raise Me Up” – what an appropriate message for our experience of Holy Week and Easter this year.  Personally, it is the perfect background song for our scripture readings and present experiences. I invite you to read and REFLECT on the lyrics or listen and REFLECT on the song:

This inspiring song and our Holy Week scripture readings speak to me of the Passion, Death and Resurrection, not only of Jesus, but of today’s ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Yes, this Global Pandemic is our Good Friday. Yes, our hearts are burdened, and we wait in the silence…Holy Saturday. However, we must remember we are strong when we are on God’s shoulders because God raises us up to be more than we can be…RESURRECTION! We are RESURRECTION people capable of raising one another up “to be more than we can be” during this Global Pandemic and beyond.  Our present experiences will give BIRTH TO NEW LIFE! This Easter we express heartfelt gratitude for all who help us “glimpse eternity”…RESURRECTION. 

We especially, remember and pray for our nurses, doctors, health care workers, public servants, first responders - the essential everyday people, all the ordinary volunteers, making an extraordinary difference.

Easter is an invitation to BE MORE THAN WE CAN BE, TO GLIMPSE ETERNITY, TO BE RESURRECTION PEOPLE.

Let us continue to unite ourselves in prayer with our brothers and sisters as we experience our own Way of the Cross that WILL bring us to NEW LIFE… to RESURRECTION. ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!

Let us prayerfully remember those who now see our God face to face and rejoice in the RESURRECTION. ALLELUIA!