Encounter and celebrate The Suffering Servant within!!!

We have about 20 days here in 2020 to look at the vast choices that lie before us. The goal is a personal, particular family centered celebration in the "little church of the home." This will ask for the cooperation and participation of all the family members. If individual and families chose to celebrate together this will bring out more of the communal dimension of our shared faith. I see singles, and couples choosing their "faith community" for this year.  This year you are going to have the choice of who you are going to prepare and celebrate with. For those in mixed faith relationships, this offers you the great opportunity to have a celebration that will reflect the beliefs of both faith traditions. I always admire those of other faith traditions who accompany their Catholic partners to our Catholic Easter Sunday celebration.  This year you are being given the opportunity to have a blended faith celebration of your everyday experience of The Easter Mysteries.

When I was preparing couples for the celebration of the Sacrament of Matrimony I used to ask them to do the following.  Write out where they saw The Suffering Christ, within their intended spouse.  That Suffering Presence must be recognized so that when That Suffering Presence is reveled in the days, weeks, and sometimes years to come there are no surprises. Many many couples fought me on that one. They want to see only the presence of The Risen Christ wanting no part of the suffering One within aching to be ministered to In the reflective celebration of Jesus’ last hours as seen in the stations of the cross we encounter as The Suffering Servant did two very significant people. We are presented for our reflection Simon of Cyrene, and Veronica.  Have you ever met both Simon and Veronica within your contemporary Gospel story? They are there deep inside waiting to be a source of strength and encouragement.