Written by: Dr. Tessa Rosana, ICLA’s Biblical Ministry Department Coordinator
A full liturgical cycle is gone but the COVID-19 pandemic stays on with even more virulence because of reportedly new variants. Last year the pandemic started in Lent although the lockdown came a little later and now another round of lockdown, almost the same as last year. History repeating itself is supposed to be passé in the 21st century where humanity’s consciousness is supposed to have evolved in a higher plane. Obviously, however, some people remain the same like an animal chasing its tail & never catching it. Oh well, the good news however, cannot be tainted by disasters, natural or human made such as corruption and ineptness, etc.
YES, the good news that Easter comes every day, if we have the eyes to gaze on its beauty, if we have the heart to feel its unremitting joy, appearances to the contrary notwithstanding. For, Jesus is risen, alleluia! He has vanquished death and is present in us through the ever gentle breath of the Spirit, the Spirit of life that nudges us on, with hope and with resistance to evil, not allowing ourselves to be coopted by dehumanizing powers in this world.
In the beautiful liturgies of the Holy Week in ICLA, we have the glimmerings of joy and hope as we moved towards the Easter Triduum. Students prepared an intercultural collaboration in the liturgical celebration. Even the altar was decked with plants and flowers from ICLA garden itself, lovingly nurtured by the sisters from different congregations while the priests do their part in cleaning up the garden. Such is the life of ICLA community, punctuated with academic time and sprinkled with a lot of prayers for the whole of humanity, for our families, our loved ones, respective countries and communities especially for Myanmar and its people who are excruciatingly experiencing the inhumanities of the government.
Before I get lost in my meanderings, I really want to share the meditation of Fr. Gusti Supur, CMF on the Good Friday liturgy. (Available for download below) Since we could not have the usual ritual of the veneration of the cross, this meditation really guided us to venerate the cross in its underlying and incontrovertible meaning-- God’s incommensurable love for us through Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.
On Easter vigil, Fr. Kristian Cangkung, CMF gave a synthesis of the homilies during all of Holy Week. He captured the key themes of the previous days and wove them together to make a wonderful tapestry of the Paschal mystery that culminated in the empty tomb, with all its rich connotations for our Christian faith. (Available for download below)