The Easter JourneyApril 21, 2025

The Easter Journey

Life is a journey that is made of smaller journeys. Each one is significant and invites us deeper and further into the ultimate journey. We are daily invited into relationships with others, and ourselves; into finding ways of acceptance and love. Each invitation is an opportunity and a step toward the ultimate journey into the divine. Mysterious and magical life is full of this movement of discovery.

We have just experienced a very significant time, the journey with Jesus through Lent. This year I was privileged to accompany the catechumens at Communion of Saints Parish on their first Lenten journey. The time was filled with learnings and love spent with one another in seeking the God whose call filled our days and the hearts of each one present. We heard the salvific stories in Scripture of Jesus’ miracles and particularly his healings. We each realize that as we read and pray and share, the healing was happening within us and the mission to bring the story to others was ours as much as it belonged to those touched physically by Jesus. We each brought our own understanding of Jesus to the community of the OCIA and were stretched and moved into the fullness of grace by one another.
I was particularly touched by a homily about the Gospel of Zacchaeus because it reminded me of the truth that we need one another to uncover the glory of the God that we seek. And, each of us has a piece of the truth to offer.
So, Father Anthony was offering this part of the story from the wisdom of a student. We know the story of Zacchaeus. He could not see Jesus because of the crowd that surrounded him so he climbed a tree to have a better view. The Gospel simply said that he was short. Now, the student, who was himself one of the shortest in the class of fifth graders, asked Father, “Which one was short?” Father explained further: was Zacchaeus short and unable to see over the crowd or was Jesus shorter than the crowd that surrounded him? The question got a gasp from the congregation. Presumably, the gasp came from a new insight. I had never questioned stature in the story and I assume most in the congregation had not either. We do need each other on this journey to unravel the mysteries and miracles of God. This one was a surprise for me and I gathered for others. However, it is a testimony to the Church’s wisdom in creating the OCIA in which a community journeys together with the catechumens bringing a perspective created by the life’s journey of each member. We touch each other with the graces through which Gad has touched us all.
It is my hope that we all have opportunities to uncover God with lessons shared in the gift of community and family. My prayer is that we are always open to the many learnings found in the intersections and crossroads of our lives with each other.

Let us pray: Holy One, you continue to bless our seeking with friends who are willing to journey with us. Teach us to open our hearts to these sacred meetings of your love poured out through the lives and the lessons of our lifes’ journeys. Thanks you for the Jesus who became flesh that we might live forever with you. In gratitude we know of forgiveness and grace that allows us to come back to you with all our hearts. Amen.

Sister Mary Ellen Brinovec