Apr 09, 2020

He is risen!

Indeed He is risen!

A blessed and happy Easter to all of you! And it should be happy because we are a people of joy, hope, trust and resurrection. As G. K. Chesterton said, “Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate.” When you live in northeast Ohio, you have an inkling of what he means when he says this.

In the summer it is too hot, in the winter it is too cold. Everything in-between alternates between the two and being too wet. So, for example, on one of those too hot days when everyone is doing their best to forget how miserable they are and are just about reaching a level of contentment, there will always be someone who will come on the scene and make the grand pronouncement, “Oh! It’s so HOT!” This is said in the event that someone may have forgotten or perhaps they didn’t notice. So it proclaimed in order to save them from not sharing in the common tragedy of living in summer.

And so it is far too easy to fall into thinking negatively about the unique situation in which we find ourselves at Easter. As Catholics, it is particularly notable and no matter how bad an Easter may be in anybody’s life in the future, when we are 90 and rocking in a chair and talking to grandchildren who are upset because the Easter Bunny gave a sibling one more chocolate Easter egg than was found in his basket. We will rock in our chair and get a far away look in our eyes and say, “Oh my dear, Easter eggs are really not that important. Why, I remember back to the Easter of 2020.”

In other words, it is like the comedian Brian Reagan’s skit about the astronaut who walked on the moon. No matter what anybody else brings up at a party such as , “I rode a wild bronco,” or “I climbed a mountain,” they will all receive a crushing conversational blow as you say, “Very interesting,” taking a sip of your coffee, “You know, I walked on the moon.”

I don’t want it to sound as though I don’t know that for some people, this time is just tragic pure and simple, but not for everyone. I would imagine for most it is like the vacation I once took working a cattle drive from Montana to Wyoming.  When I describe it I say, “It was the best vacation that I never, ever want to go on again.” I was legitimately miserable though most of it, but it provided some of my most unique and cherished memories, I learned and grew a lot, and had some touching moments with God.

Our celebrations this year have laid bare where our strengths are as God’s family. The amount of support, the efforts to remain community, the strong desire for the sacraments, those adjusting to crisis modes in their jobs - particularly faculty, students and parents. How dedicated and talented our staff is, how far Fr. Simone has come in his three years of priesthood, how Ian will make a fine priest, your love and support of your spiritual home of St. Sebastian, and the trust that you have in our Loving and Saving God that He will continue to save those who remain close to Him, that He Who is so powerful that He can save those Who sincerely seek Him to the extent that they are capable, has revealed itself in a way that it might not have otherwise.

So, to the St. Sebastian Family, thank you. You are amazing, strong and resourceful and with an incredible love of God and the Church He founded. For those who are reading this who are not a part of our community, know that when we are able to be united again, you are most welcome to make St. Sebastian your spiritual home.

IN OTHER NEWS:

There are several things you can do to keep in touch with St. Sebastian Parish:

    Call the office to receive this letter every Friday by calling the front office or sending an email to marketing@stsebastian.com

If you would like to receive our daily Angelus Letter, you may make the same contacts as above.

We have a YouTube channel on which Mass and other things are updated daily.

We also have a Facebook page to help keep you up to date on goings on.

We have a podcast channel of homilies which you find from our webpage.

    We obviously have a webpage at stsebastian.org.

Cathy Sivec mans our phones Monday through Friday during business hours.

God bless & happy Easter,

Fr. Valencheck