I am writing this in the light of the Easter candle
which
symbolizes the risen Christ. As we blessed
it at the Vigil, we
proclaimed: "Christ yesterday and today...all
time belongs to
him and all the ages, to him be glory and power
through every age
forever." The light of the candle recalls
the first Easter even
as the Church looks to the celebration of its
three thousandth
Easter. What we will celebrate as the Jubilee
year 2000 is the
"year of the Lord's favor" first prophesied by
Isaiah and
fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus beginning
in Galilee. Thus
the Jubilee, "a year of the Lord's favor" characterizes
all the
activity of Jesus and is not merely the recurrence
of an
anniversary in time.
This Third Millennium is just two short years
away. These
thousand year bench marks tend to bring the crazies
out of the
wood work. For some reason, it is more
often people who never
darken the door of a church who manage to fasten
on The
Apocalypse or The Book of Revelation, becoming
especially excited
trying to figure out its numerology and what
is meant by the
weird animals and other symbols. The second reading
on Sunday
from now until Pentecost will be from Revelation
and so it
deserves a little attention.
Apocalyptic literature, in the Old & New Testaments,
is
resistance literature written to meet a crisis
and to assure
believers that God is in charge of the universe.
We, like the
apostle Thomas our doubting twin, have difficulties
in part,
because we carry our own presuppositions as to
how God should
make the divine dominion evident in any given
situation. That we
should suffer distress and insecurity is usually
not part of our
faith-portfolio. That "strength is made
perfect in weakness", as
God told St Paul, doesn't sound like Good News
to us.
Our faith in the true humanity of Jesus means
that He, too, was a
recipient -or was "made perfect" (Heb 5,9).
We, in turn, are
recipients of His endurance, His kingship, and
His priesthood as
members of his Mystical Body. Our very
willingness to suffer
distress and to endure "on account of the kingdom"
is perhaps the
best evidence to ourselves and others that we
are made in the
image and likeness of the God who suffered and
in Christ.
When, in November of 1994, Pope John Paul laid
out a plan for the
years leading up to the Jubilee in 2000, he did
not use
apocalyptic language or imagery. There
was no need to disguise
the message of hope under images only the elect
would recognize.
Much of our present distress comes from a lack
of unity among
believers and our moral and theological confusion,
not
persecution which called for carefully coded
encouragement. The
present time calls us to repentance for the intolerance
and use
of violence by Christians in times past and present!
The Pope designated 1998 as a year dedicated to
the Holy Spirit
and its sanctifying presence within the community
of Christ's
disciples. Preparation for the Jubilee
truly began with Vatican
II and it should be a time of the joy of repentance
and
conversion of heart. We invite you to steal
a few days to be
with us at Mount Saviour with preparation for
the Jubilee in
mind. In this way we can be mutually encouraged
by one another!
We are beginning to make preparations for the
Golden Jubilee of
Mount Saviour in three years. One item
of distress for us at the
moment is the condition of the Chapel.
The roof has reached its
life cycle and needs to be replaced. In
some places the loss of
shingles has exposed the base felt material.
The upper
clearstory windows also need to be replaced.
Less extensive work
has to be done to the Chapel interior.
It badly needs re-
painting and the flagstone floor needs attention.
The overall
cost is estimated at $125,000. We will
extend the repair over a
three year period depending on our financial
situation.
Donations received this year will be used to
offset this special
expense. We are eternally grateful for
all the help, financial
and otherwise, we receive. We are also
very grateful for the
grant of $20,000 we received for this project
from the Koch
Foundation of Gainsville Florida.
No matter what the condition of the Chapel, we
will celebrate
Dedication Day on Sunday, August 16th.
Mass will be at 10 AM
followed by a light brunch and a light program
yet to be
arranged.
We are filled for our trip to Greece and the Holy
Land and for
the Study Week on Discipleship in June.
We are compiling a
waiting list for both events. We remind
you that this will be
the 9th year for the Summer Program for men 21-35
yrs. of age.
It is arranged to emphasize basic elements in
Christian community
as a preparation for and structuring of a mature
life for
Catholic laymen. If you know anyone who
might be interested,
have them write or call us.
As always, we ask your prayers for the continued
growth of the
community in numbers and grace. The increase
in age we can
manage on our own.
In Xto,
Fr Martin