Virtual reality has
become the norm. We expect a mechanical
voice to answer the phone when we make many phone calls. Much of what we see happening in the world we
see on a screen. Technology has either
made far much more somehow available
to us, or has come between us and
almost everything; it is hard to tell which.
But our celebration
of the Resurrection was not virtual. The
plants and flowers were real, organic, and fragrant. The candles had real beeswax and authentic
flames, not LEDs. Real wood, silk, and
precious metal, crafted specifically for the purpose, were present for us. Actual voices belonging to real people whom
we know made live the Word of God in the passages of Sacred Scripture and in
the prayers of the Church spoken and sung for us. Real sacristans and real servers studied and
rehearsed and worked to present for us all of these objects and actions at the
right time and in the right places, without drawing any attention to themselves
or their labors.
What a gift! The authentic worship of the living God is
the real work of real people, who are our intimates here in our parish. The level of seriousness and effort brought
over the past few weeks left me breathless with gratitude and admiration. Nowhere else in our modern life can we count
on such human skill and effort being poured out for us. Music from people and instruments, not
machines, created in our presence, is only one example; where else do you get
that?
Please take a few
moments to focus on the elements that you enjoyed of Easter and the Holy Days
leading up to it. Then think of the
hands, voices, love, and effort that shaped and provided them. None of it was manufactured or synthetic; all
of it was the fruit of human labor and love.
Many of those who did the labor and shared the love are worthy of thanks
and prayers.
So offer thanks to
and for our choirs and musicians, servers and lectors, ushers and sacristans,
and hyper dedicated staff. Offer thanks
to and for the folks who set up the reception on the lawn, especially who made
homemade goodies. Offer thanks for all
who prepared the grounds and buildings; stripped, veiled, decorated and
arranged the sanctuary, worked through lists or rehearsals, and spent hours of
their Holy Days making them holy and beautiful for all of us. As your Pastor, I thank them with you and for
you.
I am grateful to my
brother priests for their help and their homilies, and their hours in the
confessional. And to all of you for your
faith lived and demonstrated, an inspiration to us all.
I also want to
congratulate, welcome, and generally cheer for all of our brothers and sisters
in Christ who joined us in the life of the Risen One through the Sacraments of
Initiation at the Easter Vigil:
Federico
Rosales, Otto Rosales, Mounia Valois, and Amayia Lawrence (Baptized and Confirmed);
Sophia Valois (Baptized); Rebecca Fitzgerald and Jennifer Reilly (Received into
the Church and Confirmed); and Eric McDonald, Bridey Owens, Karla Oakley, William
Valois, Alexandra Lawrence, and Andre Lawrence (Confirmed).
Their hearts, hands
and voices are now joined with ours in the very physical labor of giving not
only worship but also flesh itself to the Risen Christ. This is the new reality that defines their
lives as it has shaped our own. This
reality is never virtual, but rather sacramental, and therefore by the design
and guarantee of our Lord and God, true and real.
Monsignor Smith
