Editorial
A question that challenges us, and a challenge for us to draw near the ‘Christs of today’
The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Mt 21:9-11)
The words shared in the Gospel during the procession with palms at the beginning of Palm Sunday Mass on April 2 celebrated Jesus as he entered the holy city of Jerusalem. Moments later during that same liturgy, we witnessed the agony of our Savior as he entered into his Passion and was crucified by a people who chose to put him to a horrible death.
We have walked our Lenten journey and arrived at Holy Week, and yet, on Palm Sunday—through another Gospel reading—we are among those who call for Christ to be crucified. If we lived in that time, would we be among those who supported such a heinous and senseless act? With many pushing for a more secularized society where faith and morals don’t guide people, it is a fair question to ask in 2023.
If we committed our Lent to be a continuous time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we should be stronger, more committed people of faith. And during Holy Week, our focus should be on Christ’s Passion, death and resurrection, where he defeats sin and death.
Today, Good Friday, we mark Jesus Christ’s Passion and death. But two days later, a great revelation will bring us unimaginable joy. On Easter Sunday, April 9, we celebrate Christ’s glorious resurrection. More than 2,000 years later, we are still awed to realize we will receive no greater gift in life—our Savior dying on a cross to fulfill God’s will for humanity. And taking it a step further, we know that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, bringing a glorious light to a world enveloped by darkness and continuing his earthly mission of salvation.
Our faith teaches us that the Cross of Jesus opens the way to abundant life. This weekend is also a special time as we welcome the approximately 600 people throughout the archdiocese who will be received into the full communion of the Church during the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. Catechumens—people not yet baptized—will be baptized, confirmed and receive their first Communion at the Easter Vigil. Candidates, who are already baptized Christians, will enter the full communion of the Church by making a profession of faith, being confirmed and receiving their first Communion.
It is an opportune time to remind our new brothers and sisters in faith that each time they receive the body of Christ, they become the body of Christ. During this ongoing National Eucharistic Revival being celebrated across the U.S., we would do well to remind ourselves and others of this wonderful gift of our Lord that he gave us through his death and resurrection and that lives on today.
Easter is a season of hope and joy, but as we proclaim this truth, we must not forget the many “abandoned Christs” that exist today, which Pope Francis referenced in his homily during his Palm Sunday Mass on April 2 at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. They include “the poor who live on our streets and that we don’t have the courage to look at, migrants who are no longer faces but numbers.”
They are also “people who are abandoned, invisible, hidden, discarded with white gloves: unborn children, the elderly who live alone—the elderly who live alone could also maybe be your dad, your mom, your grandpa, grandma, abandoned in geriatrics—the sick whom no one visits,” he continued, “the disabled who are ignored, and the young burdened by great interior emptiness, with no one prepared to listen to their cry of pain and who find another way toward suicide. The abandoned of today, the Christs of today.”
We are all children of God, made in his image and likeness. And as disciples of Christ, we are called to make sure no one is forgotten. We must be people of mercy, tenderness and compassion.
As we begin marking this season of Easter joy, let us not forget to be the hands of feet of Christ to those in need and that we are strengthened in this service by growing closer to Christ in the Eucharist.
It is a time to proclaim Christ is alive! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
—Mike Krokos