Easter's message of joy in Jesus

The glorious Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus our Savior illuminates our lives with the Light of Christ as we share and celebrate the Word of God and the Living Bread. This year of our Sesquicentennial observance of the Diocese of Albany calls us in a special way to communion with one another and to grateful remembrance of those who have preceded us in helping to advance the mission of Jesus the Risen Christ in the Church of Albany and in our world.

As we sing, pray and celebrate the Light of Christ, we walk in spirit in the company of people who beheld our Savior after His Resurrection. Two of those persons are the disciples on their way to Emmaus, "discussing as they went all that had happened" (Luke 24:14). Unrecognized, Jesus the Risen Christ joined them in "their lively exchange" and asked them about the subject of their dialogue.

They quickly revealed that it was "Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet powerful in word and deed in the eyes of God and all the people" (19), of whom they spoke together. The two had hoped that Jesus would obtain freedom for Israel, and they had heard from women who had visited the tomb that this same Jesus who had been crucified was alive.

The disciples' yet unrecognized companion chided them for their slowness in accepting the teaching of the prophets from Moses on in Scripture that pertained to the Messiah and shared with them this history of God's saving power. The remarkable dialogue concluded at table when Jesus "took bread, pronounced the blessing, then broke the bread and began to distribute it to them. With that, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; whereupon He vanished" (30-32).

The instant response of the disciples was to recognize together that their hearts had burned within them at the words of the Risen Jesus and to go back to Jerusalem to rejoin the Eleven and other disciples. The two, on their arrival, having learned that Simon had seen Jesus, joyously recounted their experience on the road to Emmaus and revealed "how they had come to know Him in the breaking of the bread."

The Risen Jesus, still a stranger as He walked toward Emmaus with those two disciples, had illuminated their anxious conversation with the Word of God and then had vitalized their faith and hope through "the breaking of the bread." The experience of the two disciples is a shining paradigm of Christian dialogue, exercised in faith, enlightened by the Word of God, and sustained by the Living Bread.

The fruit of this communion with one another in the Light of Christ is unity and a desire for unity with the larger faith community of the Church. At a later date, St. Paul would observe: "Because the loaf of bread is one, we, many though we are, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf" (1 Cor. 10:17).

When Jesus first joined the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, He asked: What are you discussing as you go your way?" (Luke 24:18). His question evoked the united response of the two as they shared their fear, confusion, sadness of heart and hopes. That question of Jesus, godly in its simplicity and penetrating to the heart, remains today as a germane and challenging question for us who are the Church, who are God's priestly people.

What are we discussing as we go our way? Our Sesquicentennial theme calls us to "Honor Tradition, Discover Tomorrow." During this special year of remembering, learning, sharing and celebrating together, the Church of Albany renews our mission of advancing the Kingdom of God and, thereby, of serving the pastoral, spiritual, educational and most basic daily needs of people, including those of the poor, the homeless, the voiceless.

What are we discussing as we go our way? We continue our communication and our efforts in clustering among the parishes and in the progress of our pastoral planning. We thereby seek to meet the needs of the Church of Albany and to advance the mission of Jesus the Risen Christ in our world through the heartening participation of our people in so many areas of service in the parish, Diocese and community at large.

What are we discussing as we go our way? We are expressing our unconditional reverence and support for the sacredness of human life and for all living things in the world of nature. In so doing, we speak out and advocate for the life of the unborn and actively oppose partial-birth abortions, physician-assisted suicide and cloning.

On March 11, 1997, hundreds of Catholics gathered at the State Capitol for the Public Policy Forum day, which the New York State bishops sponsor, in order to pray together, to attend workshops, and to lobby on behalf of the poor. In addition to the above-mentioned human life issues, our objectives included "funding to enable parents to choose their child's school; welfare reform proposals that provide employment opportunities, decent wages, and a safety net for those unable to work; strengthened legal protection for Catholic health and human service workers and providers; preserving essential services for the poor and ill in the state budget; and opposition to casino gambling" (The Evangelist, March 13, 1997, p. 1). Our Public Policy Education Network has given valuable assistance in preparation for the Public Policy Forum day. Catholic Charities has exercised notable leadership in promoting widespread study of the issues and increased participation in the forum.

What are we discussing as we go our way? We recognize the urgency of the ministry of the Church to our young adults. The Public Policy Forum welcomed an encouraging number of teenage participants who had already taken part in a special training session at Saratoga Central Catholic High School. This, in turn, had resulted from the work of the Diocesan Youth Congress on violence, a number of whose members had attended the National Catholic Youth Congress on violence. This significant issue was included with the aforementioned issues for the Public Policy Forum.

What are we discussing as we go our way? On November 12, 1996, the U.S. bishops approved our "Sons and Daughters of Light: A Pastoral Plan for Ministry With Young Adults." Our first step in developing this plan for those in their late teens, 20s and 30s was to hold "town meetings" in the company of young adults in dioceses throughout our country. In other words, we dialogued together on the urgent questions, concerns, and aspirations presented by young adults. The November 28, 1996 issue of Origins contains the resulting document and the following introductory note: "As we began to write this pastoral plan, we chose first to meet with some of you. These meetings, where you shared the joys and struggles of your daily life, have been a time of grace and understanding for us."

In these discussions, the U.S. bishops heard about the "spiritual tension" experienced by our young adults in the face of the conflicting standards of today's society and of the individual's desire to live in harmony with the will of God. We learned also about the doubts, questionings, the sense of a lack of welcome in the parish setting. The U.S. bishops find that "the Church needs to respond to this doubting and questioning by encouraging a dialogue that welcomes challenges from the young adult to the Church and from the Church to the young adult, so that each may grow in discipleship."

This pastoral document of the U.S. bishops, concerned with evangelization on behalf of young adults has "four goals of connecting young adults with the Church, Jesus Christ, the mission of the Church in the world and a community of their peers." This document is meant for an increase of understanding, for mutual communication, and for implementation of its goals and strategies.

As we gather in joy, then, for our Easter celebration in this Sesquicentennial Year, may Jesus the Risen Christ bless all of us who are the Church of Albany and God's priestly people and enable us as we go our way to advance our Savior's mission in a world that continues to hunger for peace, justice, and the fostering of human solidarity and care for one another's needs.

(03-27-97) [[In-content Ad]]