That was
spectacular!
Yes, I am
talking about Holy Week and Easter. I
assume you noticed that it was spectacular, and think I am talking about the
music, or the flowers, or the liturgies.
Yes, you would be right, but I
have my eye on something more.
What was
spectacular in my eyes was the consistent and coordinated efforts of so many
people to make the Holy Days beautiful, faithful, and hospitable. Nobody had the spotlight, no individual drew
attention, but what was on display was the many members of the Body of Christ
working in concert to manifest the Paschal Mystery both in worship and in
fellowship. That was spectacular!
Doesn’t the
church look amazing? Melissa and Peter
Franklin, with help from Lewis and Peggy Hicks, creatively and beautifully
arrayed the flowers in our sanctuary, commemorating that garden in which Christ
rose from the dead. But do not forget
that you and so many folks gave those flowers, as a mark of love of the Lord
and their family members, whom they hope to help enjoy a share in that
resurrection! The outpouring was
especially generous this year – truly a fragrant offering to the Lord!
And while you
very likely did not have your attention drawn to any one of them, you cannot
have missed the group effort of our altar servers. These young people willingly gave hours and
hours of time and hard work to make the complex liturgies unfold with elegant
beauty. You didn’t see the rehearsals,
the early arrivals, and the staying late that they so willingly gave. It was a joy to see them work so well
together, and the friendship that such service fostered among them.
Many have
commented on the beauty of the music John Henderson directed and led. While individual talents were clearly
displayed, there was no spotlight-and-microphone grabbing performance, but a
generous outpouring of sacred music to accompany the worship of God in these
most sacred mysteries. One parishioner
observed that from a seat he didn’t usually occupy, he was struck to see how
much the choir enjoyed working with one another to offer their beautiful fruit
to the Lord, and to us.
A community
can accomplish great things; only a communion can accomplish divine things. The friendship and affection of life in
Christ was clear among the members of the various groups who did so much this
week: the ushers, the lectors, the
sacristans and their helpers, the counters of the collection, and the fearless
fellowship you all know as “the staff.”
Individually, they were untiring in the their efforts; together they
were unstoppable.
In the
sanctuary, the corporate nature of even the priesthood was manifest. Fr. Gallaugher and I enjoyed the presence and
help of Fr. Markey and Fr. Brian Kane, a Lincoln (NE) priest who grew up in our
parish. Each of those three took one of
the homilies of the Triduum, and to have four of us together for the mystery at
the heart of our faith and identity was a real blessing.
At quarter to
seven on Easter morning, I looked out my window and saw a swarm of folks on the
lawn preparing for the hospitality and the egg hunt. More than seven hours later, the tables
rolled away like the stone before the Lord’s tomb. What an effort! Jasmine Kuzner and Liz Dooley coordinated,
and so many worked and helped from the coffee pots to the cleanup.
One
parishioner already told me that his family followed a visiting couple up to
the church as they remarked first upon the egg hunt, then upon the reception
and tent, and then continued to marvel at all they found in the church. Their reactions made it clear that not
everybody expects this, and not everybody gets this; because not everybody is
willing to come together to do all this.
And that all of you are, and do, is spectacular.
This
communion in work and worship is the integrity of the Body of Christ in the
glory of the resurrection. This is your,
and our, identity before God, made real by your willing participation. Truly Christ is risen, here and now, in you. Deo
gratias!
Monsignor
Smith
