Felician Sisters of North America Mission: Haiti

At the mission, we are always learning something new. Today, it is learning how to sew face masks. Sr. Izzy is a good teacher!

We are in the upper room, and we sense the peace of Jesus here with us. In this, we are called to unlock those spaces that we try to hide, where we need faith and courage to keep moving forward. Jesus asks us to believe in this now, in what it is like. We are not so much to worry about the why but to remember that He is here in the now. Today we bring all people–family and friends, those we may not have yet met, doctors, nurses, necessary workers, children, the born and unborn, elders, presidents and leaders, priests and religious–and we place them all into the wounds of Jesus. We place them all into his Heart of mercy to be healed, transformed, and created into the new Easter message of life.

Today, we were blessed to have the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord! As we gathered, we remembered everyone this day who could not receive the Holy Eucharist and celebrate with their faith communities. Just as the stone was removed from the tomb, and the tomb was empty, let us not focus on the emptiness we may have felt these holy days; but let us place our faith in the one who promised that He will rise and give us all new life in Him. Our salvation is in Jesus who is risen and with us, and He will heal us and free as He promised. Remembering each of you to the Father in our daily prayers!

“Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.” Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” 

On Saturday evening, April 4, we were once again blest to have Eucharist. We remembered each of you in our celebration.

“Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us.” From sermon by St Andrew of Crete

“My God my God, why have you abandoned me?” Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday, is a time to move from an event that happened two thousand years ago to who we are today. Literally, the whole world is affected. We are hurting, confused, frightened, haunted, and wishing we could just wake up from this nightmare. Is it any different than the nightmare of the Apostles who just in a matter of hours lost the one in whom they had put all their hopes and expectations? Is it any different than the regret of Peter whose last words of denial kept playing over and over in his mind? Is it any different from the emptiness Mary felt, holding her Son’s crucified and lifeless body? Is it any different from the fear of the disciples locked in the upper room, wondering if they were going to be next? None of this made any sense sense at the time of them living through it. As we listened and read the Passion from Matthew, we, too/ are called to live and pray this truth. Here is a question we ask ourselves: “Do I see Christ Crucified today?” This is a reality which we live with and are being asked to internalize. Instead of pleading to God to change this situation, can I begin to see how the suffering of Christ is a reality in the suffering of humanity? Indeed, Christ chooses to suffer with us in our afflictions.

Two thousand years ago, the whole world was affected by the death of Jesus. That event changed the face of humanity. Today, in the midst of the pandemic event of human suffering, we sit, ponder, and prayerfully meditate with the Passion of Christ from both the historical and contemporary dimensions. As Jesus did not abandon us even in His suffering, so, too, are we assured of His presence in this challenging time. We pray from the core of our being, not as defeated people, but people who know that God is faithful to the splendor of the resurrection. We walk with you closely this Holy Week, like we have never walked it before…”But you, O Lord, be not far from me; O my help, hasten to aid me.” Ps. 22

We see how the Word is being fulfilled in our hearing, in the raising of Lazarus. In the first reading from Ezekiel, we feel like we are in a tomb–not going anywhere, with only limited contact with others–but the Lord promises He will raise us from this “grave”; and He will do it by giving us new life. Even though we may feel as though it is getting worse, the Lord is leading us into a new trust, one in which we know He is here with us.

God wants to show us His glory and He desires our obedience in the moments of not understanding our poverty of not being able to move about freely. At times we feel bound and tied, experiencing the poverty of no control and begging when will this end…but Jesus has a deeper insight into all this for us. He desires to give God the glory in this, so we can witness to His saving power and presence. “… the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.”

Let us touch this Spirit in us, which is being nurtured for something even greater than us for now. We can say with Martha: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and ­everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

Jesus is coming into the world. In all of this, He is coming; and we are called to witness the “stone” being moved away, the virus being moved away. Let us not have the virus of doubt in this current situation. Let us not allow it to kill our belief and trust, but to be victorious over it, to believe that God can raise us up in this, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” Today, it is in our solitude, silence, aloneness that we might be untied, unbound, and made free,

We are walking with you and meeting you in this powerful Word that is calling to be fulfilled in our hearing. Let us believe so that God can be glorified.