Provincial’s Message
Turning off the electronics tonight, I need some quiet. I long for true silence.
We have had too much noise lately.
Everywhere I turn, there is more noise—voices, shouting, accusations, confusion and fear. Why do some believe that raising their voices louder will make them heard? The question is not who can be the loudest when so few are listening. And here we sit at the door of Lent. Tonight, I sit in silence, thinking about St. Paul of the Cross, and in my silence, I realize that Pope Francis’ time with us is now limited.
St. Paul of the Cross petitioned the Holy See to extend to the global Church a day to remember the glorious Passion of Jesus and to raise this event to the level of a Solemnity. Going back to Paul’s letters, his hope was for this day to be September 16.[i] Sadly, Paul did not live to see this promulgated for the universal Church. It was only after his death that Pope Clement XIV added the Solemnity, placing it before Lent rather than in September.
As Passionists, we continue to honor the Church’s tradition of celebrating the Solemn Commemoration of the Passion on the Friday before Ash Wednesday, as a doorway leading us into the Lenten Season.
For most of us, this is not the first time down this path. Yet, isn’t it different this year? Personally, I seem more attuned to a restlessness, a unique uneasiness within people, balancing on the uncertainties and questions the tomorrows may bring. Sometimes, it feels like we are stepping on perpetually shifting sands, longing for some solid rock to support the next step of our sojourn.
Those elements of life which provided an assuredness and security for so many years, namely politics, economics and religion, all suddenly feel unstable. Where can we find solid ground to stand on? Various individuals are gazing into their crystal balls projecting out uncertainties which only escalate and spiral anxieties and fear.
As Passionists, we are called to share in the suffering of our sisters and brothers worldwide. They struggle with violence and war, and their lives are shaken by political oppression. They strive for justice and a share of the basic goods of the Earth, as they deal with natural disasters including earthquakes, floods, fires and mudslides. Undoubtedly, we live in a global village filled with suffering. But how is this good news? Beyond these big global issues, are we willing to help bear the cross of a person’s sickness or loneliness? Even the simplest things have become confusing. For example, have you tried to buy eggs this past week?
A few months back, The Passionist Province of St. Paul of the Cross hosted a Charism Day, inviting Sr. Maria Pascuzzi, CSJ, to reflect on the Passionist charism. In the third section of her presentation, she asked a simple question: “What do the people of God need from the Passionists today?” In an enjoyable manner, she commented on Paul the Apostle: “Preaching Christ crucified was already a hard sell in Paul’s day. Preaching Christ crucified as the greatest work of God’s love may be an even more difficult sell today.”
She explored how the majority of believers, whether churchgoers or not, can find the benevolence and love of God in the awesomeness, beauty and majesty of creation in a multiplicity of forms. What people struggle to make sense of is how a good God can be present in all the suffering we see around us today. And her challenge to us was this: Is Jesus Christ Crucified even relevant to the crucified of today? Just like Paul the Apostle, we know this truth is relevant. Yet, that certainly does not make the challenge easier.
Pope Francis’s most urgent and persistent request through his entire pontificate has emphatically called us to go to the poor. Be with the poor! We are not asked to be agents of humanitarian aid. Rather, we are asked to be agents of God! We are not asked to proselytize the poor, nor shall we have any attitude of advantage or superiority. We are asked to move against the direction of our natural inclinations of safety, security and comfort. In doing so, we discover grace, a grace that does not come from us but from God. Intuitively, it moves us out of our comfort zones, forcing us to stretch and trust. Jesus’ Passion moved contrary to the direction others thought he should go. Even Peter advised him not to go that way. From Jesus’ stepping into the unsafe and uncomfortable, the Church receives grace and salvation.
Back in my theology days, one of my favorite teachers used the phrase “Mission-in-Reverse.” A truly reflective person or group of people will discover that it is not what you are doing but how you are being changed by doing it. This is the catalyst for transformation. It is a purely incarnational moment of change when we meet Christ where we were not expecting because we stepped away from our false securities, surrendering ourselves, only to find that Christ is holding our hand. At that moment, the churchy word “Salvation” becomes more personal. I believe this has been the deepest teaching Pope Francis has tried to encourage us. And it is our invitation as we pass through the celebration of this Solemnity into the season of Lent.
God is not here to help us achieve our personal achievements. Lent is not here for us to set a list of goals for the next forty days. St. Paul of the Cross would come home for Lent after preaching many missions. It was a time for him to experience deeper listening and deeper contemplation.
As we celebrate this Solemnity, do your spirit a favor. In your personal prayer over the next four weeks, take time to read and pray through each of the four Passion narratives in the Gospels. This is part of Paul’s expectations for each of us as we journey down the Passionist Way.
Wishing you a very blessed Solemnity on the occasion of our Passionist titular feast.
In the Passion of Christ,
V. Rev. David Colhour, C.P.
Provincial Superior
P.S. I welcome your thoughts and reflections.
[i]Paul of the Cross, Letters of Paul of the Cross, ed. Mercurio-Sucher, no. 1165, Letter to John Mary Cioni of Saint Ignatius (San Angelo, September 27, 1758). Note, September 14th is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. September 15th is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Adding a Solemnity on the 16th would create a trilogy of days for the Passion of Christ.
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