May, 2009         

As a people of faith we find ourselves in these fifty days of the Easter Season. Fifty days from Easter Sunday to the Feast of Pentecost in which we dwell in a special way in the mystery of the Resurrection. Through the Word of God in our Eucharistic celebrations, we contemplate the miracle of new life in the Gospel narratives of the Resurrection appearances. In the other New Testament readings we hear of the believers’ initial proclamations of the Lord now Risen and the beginning of the new communities founded in His Name. Throughout the fifty-day celebration of the Easter season we move deeper into contact with the presence of the Risen Lord in our lives every day.

Our celebration of the Resurrection began with the blessing of the fire and the lighting of the Easter Candle, which symbolizes the Risen Lord, the Light of the World. In so many of the Mission sites of the St. James Society, there were bonfires adjacent to the Church where the community gathered and lit their candles, entering the Church singing hymns of the Resurrection. In many places the entire Easter Vigil is conducted in a local soccer stadium so that all the parishes of the town can come together in a spirit of unity in the Risen Lord. Walking vendors have been known to do pretty good business while the seven Old Testament readings are being proclaimed.

The Third Reading of the Vigil, taken from the Book of Exodus, speaks of the rescue of the freed slaves as they passed through the waters of the Red Sea. Earlier on in that Book, there is the narration of Moses’ encounter with the Living God. Moses wants to know God’s name. The voice responds, “I AM,” a word that could only be understood from the original text as “being/creating.” Out of deep respect and love for the name of the Divine, the People of the First Covenant never pronounced the name, but instead said “Lord.”

Our celebrations of the Sacred Triduum and the Easter season tell us who God is. That identity is the heart of our faith.

Our God is ever-present to us, even in situations of desperate poverty. Through the example left us by Jesus the Son, God the Father calls us to serve one another in humility and respect. Nailed to the cross, the Christ forgave us, thus enabling us to forgive others. Remembering the name spoken to Moses, our God is life forever and through the Resurrection shares that life with us.

During the Easter Season we hear of the encounter between Thomas the Apostle and the Risen Lord. St. Thomas stands for all who are skeptical, slow to believe. The Risen Lord reveals himself to the Doubter as the Lord of Endless Chances; the Lord of Welcome to even the doubter and the skeptic. In that moment in the week after the Resurrection, loving welcome and acceptance evoke the greatest profession of faith in the New Testament.

Another appearance of the Risen Lord involves Jesus and the Apostles on the beach. There has been a long night of hard work. Someone is preparing breakfast over an open fire. The smell of the smoke could very well have reminded Peter of another fire – the one by which he knelt as he warmed his hands and denied even knowing Jesus. In the future the smell of smoke would very likely always remind Peter of his encounter with the One who replaced pain and shame with joy and love.

The Easter Season is filled with the essence of our faith. It is a daily celebration of the heart of faith, which the missionary shares so far away.

In San Francisco, Moquegua, Peru, where I worked, a beautiful custom developed. The people began to bring a number of candles to the Easter Vigil Liturgy. At the moment of the final blessing, all the candles were lighted once again. The community would disperse, a candle for their own home and candles for their neighbors, sharing with them the Light of Christ and inviting them to Mass on Easter Sunday morning. It was a beautiful sight to see the dark, steep streets of San Francisco, Moquegua, lit by faith and a desire to share it.

Not only missionaries but all the baptized are called by the Risen Lord to share the Light with those around us, with the alienated and those far from the community of faith. Through your financial support of the Society of St. James, you share your faith. Your generosity over the years enables us to do so as well. In the Spirit of the Easter Season, I thank you profoundly. With best wishes and many blessings,

Fr. Kevin Hays
Director     

Fr. David Costello lights the Easter Candle at the Parish of El Resucitado, which translates into The Parish of The Risen One.

Fr. Ruel Arcega and the parishioners of El Resucitado Parish observe the Veneration of the Cross at the Good Friday service.

Fr. Music fills the air and lifts the spirits of the congregation.

Fifty-five First Communicants, of Fr. Colm Hogan's parish of El Bautismo de Jesus (The Baptism of Jesus), join hands in prayer. They now can participate in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, in which Jesus Christ is present.

Fr. Joe Plumb, left, visits a soup kitchen in Carabayllo, Peru. The people working here, and in so many of our mission sites, show us that we are called to humbly serve one another in Christ's image.

Parishioners of El Resucitado Parish take ownership of their community by participating in the construction of this dining hall.

Forgiveness and reconciliation draw us together around the Lord's table.

Even children can see the face of Jesus Christ in others, and they answer God's call to serve one another in humility and respect.

This woman in Ecuador runs her small business out of a vending cart. The income provides her with enough money to support her family, and instills within her a sense of self-worth.

Parishioners in Chosica, Lima, light the Easter Vigil candles.