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St. Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church AKA St. Elsewhere March 25, 2010 Dear Parish Family, Our Lenten journey is taking a sharp turn into the mystery of Holy Week in just a few days. We’ve been on a journey of soulful reflection and prayer into the humanity of Jesus and his unrelenting capacity to remain true to himself and his calling. Lent - I hope - has afforded us an opportunity to move more deeply into our spiritual lives and our mortality, our dependence on God, the ground of all being, our higher power, and the hope God represents for a world that respects and honors the dignity of every human being. I often think of the earth with awe, a living planet tucked away in a galaxy surrounded by billions of stars in a seemingly lifeless universe, yet here we are on a sphere where every living thing is pushing toward life and survival. I am not a student of Friedrich Nietzche, I am not smart enough for that, but I recently came across this quote of his that had some resonance with me: “You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.” The life of Jesus was filled with paradox. He inspired and brought hope to the down trodden, the outcasts and oppressed, his teachings brought comfort and life to those who heard it with a yearning heart, yet his was a life where chaos was never far. His persecutors were always lurking in the shadows waiting for the opportunity to seize upon him. Their scheming against him was relentless and finally, upon his entry into Jerusalem, he was arrested, taken before the authorities, and crucified. The ordeal before him was one he did not want. He sweated blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet he remained true to himself and his calling. Good Friday is anything but good yet from the chaos of his soul, exemplified by the words “my God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” we see the emergence of a dancing star, Easter is in on the horizon… Humans are different from any other species in that we have self-awareness. Notwithstanding our advances, I am convinced that we are still in a process of evolution. Our survival instincts too often work against us, and we fail to live the message of the living Christ. Jesus is triumphant over death, his message of life powers over death, he understood this to the core, and hence the tomb could not contain him. The chaos he experienced would give birth to a dancing star, he is our dancing star, and he invites us to join in on the dance. In the measure that we embrace his message, we evolve. In the measure that we remain in chaos, we stifle the evolution, and the chaos in our lives serves no purpose, life remains a vicious cycle. Holy Week is a solemn time during which Lent intensifies and reaches a crescendo. Chaos is ever present during Holy Week, but in the end it is followed by celebration, and Easter joy. During the Great Vigil of Easter we pass from darkness to light, from death to life. Easter Lilies become the new symbols for our lives. I invite us all to the observance of a solemn Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday. Holy Week calls us to surrender the chaos in our lives. Sustained by holy grace we will give birth to a dancing star, we will celebrate Easter. I wish you all a blessed Holy Week and a joyful Easter celebration. In His Service, Wilfredo Benitez+ The Rev. Wilfredo Benitez,
PS. We will be having an Easter Egg Hunt following worship on Easter Sunday J ********************************************************************** Holy Week English Language Worship Schedule: Maundy Thursday (April 1st) …………………………….…………………….7:00 PM Good Friday/Cross Walk (April 2nd) ………………………………………....12:00 PM Great Vigil of Easter (April 3rd) ………………………….…………………… 7:00 PM Easter Sunday (April 4th)…………………………..…………….……………10:00 AM
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