EMPTINESS, HOPELESSNESS, DARKNESS -- AND THEN A BURST OF LIGHT AND LIFE!

       GOOD FRIDAY

On that fateful Good Friday, so many years ago,  the story had apparently ended. Whatever hopes Jesus of Nazareth had evoked in his disciples and those around him, are shattered. Remember the words of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24, 21): “We had hoped…..” They had hoped  that this Jesus was the one who would set them free from the tyranny of Rome, and of the priests and the Rabbis. But that afternoon they had seen him hanging there on the cross, brutally killed for his attempt to create a new society. They saw him dead and buried. Hope had turned to despair.

HOLY SATURDAY

Holy Saturday is like a dead end, a time when nothing seems to be happening, when one sees no light at the end of the tunnel. Good Friday looks like the end of the story. But not really. The story will continue, although there is nothing to indicate that. There is only an aching emptiness, a painful silence.

But all that will change.

Holy Saturday is the in-between time – between something old dying and something new emerging. Holy Saturday is the time between the seed falling to the ground and dying and then germinating new life. 

EASTER SUNDAY

Light appears at the end of the tunnel. Death is conquered. Despair turns to wonder. The silence and gloom of Holy Saturday is shattered in a blaze of glory. Out of darkness streams of colour break forth - in the dazzling brightness of  the Resurrection.

There is death. But there is also re-birth.

As a popular song says, “there is sunshine after the rain, there is laughter after the pain.”  

.........

When have we felt life to be a long, long Holy Saturday, when we felt like we have reached a dead end – with no way forward, no light at the end of the tunnel? …. And then surprised – at the happy turn of events? 

 May your Good Fridays and Holy Saturdays turn to Easter Sundays!

FROM THE HOPELESSNESS AND SILENCE OF HOLY SATURDAY TO THE HOPE AND JOY OF EASTER.

 EASTER VIGIL AT SUMEDHA CENTRE

The Sumedhans Celebrated Easter celebrated Easter Vigil by themselves at the Centre on Saturday night. They had celebrated the Way of the Cross and the Veneration of the Holy Cross the previous day - Good Friday..

On that fateful Good Friday the story had apparently ended. Whatever hopes Jesus had evoked were shattered. Remember the words of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “We had hoped…..” Now there is only a great silence, the silence of the tomb, a silence that would last all through Saturday.

Holy Saturday is the in-between time – between something old dying and something new emerging. Holy Saturday is the time between the seed falling to the ground and dying and then germinating new life. Holy Saturday is like a dead end, a time when nothing seems to be happening, when one sees no light at the end of the tunnel. 

Good Friday looks like the end of the story. But not really. The story will continue. Light will appear at the end of the tunnel. Death will be conquered. The silence and gloom of Holy Saturday will be shattered in a blaze of glory. Out of darkness a riot of colours will break forth!

This is the great message of Easter. Jesus was killed for dying the Powers Be. But His Father raised him from the dead -- and the story would continue - through so many women and men  of good will, struggling to build the Kingdom of God - where all can live in joy and peace as children of same God, challenging and fighting the Powers Be that seeks to oppress, to fragment and persecute...

When have we felt life to be a long Holy Saturday, when we felt like we have reached a dead end – with no way forward, no light at the end of the tunnel? …. And then surprised – at the happy turn of events? As a popular song says, “there is sunshine after the rain, there is laughter after the pain.”  

For the times we fail to trust in the power of your resurrection, Lord have mercy on us. Heal us of our disappointments and our hopelessness. Fill us with hope and optimism, t help us believe that pain and sorrow do not last forever, that healing is possible, that better times lie ahead....Make us instruments of hope to the hopeless and love to the forlorn. Amen

HAPPY EASTER! BLESSINGS, PEACE AND NEW LIFE TO ALL!

GOOD FRIDAY AT SUMEDHA CENTRE

 Good Friday was celebrated at Sumedha Centre with  a Scripture based Way of the Cross at dawn.

The text of this Way of the Cross was composed by Jose Parappully, the Director of the Centre.

The Way of the Cross was conducted, meandering through the campus of Sumedha Centre and Don Bosco School campuses. 

Each station had been set up at various locations on the campus.

different members read the text at each Station and Fr. Parappully, read out a commentary linking the particular station to today's human situation, showing that Jesus' Way of the Cross, made over two thousand of years ago is continued by the suffering and oppressed humanity today.

"Over two thousand years ago Jesus of Nazareth made his Way of the Cross. It ended in ignominious death, and unexpectedly in a glorious resurrection which brought us salvation and redemption.

Today we trace that same path, carrying our own crosses—and humanity’s crosses—, our cares, our anxieties, our problems, our pain, our sorrows and our sins."

At 3 pm, the Sumedha Community celebrated the Veneration of the Holy Cross with the reading of the Passion Of Jesus according to St. John, Intercessions for church and society, and Communion Service. prsided over by one of the members, Ajit Hembrom.

Good Friday: Sunrise Way of the Cross at Sumedha

The Sumedhans gathered at sunrise on Good Friday at the foot of the Sumedha Hill to begin their Way of the Cross.

Starting with the First Station at the foot of the hill they went up the winding footpath, carrying a heavy wooden Cross,  to the top of the hill where there is a sculpture of Calvary - Jesus on the Cross and Mary his Mother and John his disciple stand grieving.

The fourteen Stations of the Cross are marked with a Cross along the footpath leading to Calvary.

The Way of the Cross used today, based on Sacred Scripture and a meditative reflection on the realities of our every world of suffering, was specially composed by Dr. Jose Parappully, Director of the Centre.

"Good Friday: ...The story has apparently ended. Whatever hopes Jesus had evoked  have been shattered.... Remember the words of the disillusioned disciples on the road to Emmaus: "We had hoped..." (One of the saddest phrases in Sacred Scripture) Now there is only a great silence, the silence of the tomb..."

UNIQUE HOLY WEEK EXPEREINCE

The Sumedhans observed that they found their Holy week experience at Sumedha very special. Many of them said this Holy week was very different from the ones that they were used to. "Unique," "Special," so very meaningful" were some of the words and phrases they used to describe their experience.

Participants of the Sumedha Sadhana attended services on Holy Thursday and Good Friday at the parish church, and enriched especially the good Friday Liturgy through their singing of the Passion of the Lord.

However, they had their own Way of the Cross on Friday morning and the Easter Vigil Service on Saturday night.

At sunrise on Friday morning, Sumedhans went up the Sumedha Hill carrying a large and heavy wooden Cross. This Way of the Cross was composed by Fr. Jose Parappully, the Director of the Sumedha programme. He built it around the Word of God and made reflections at each Station of the Cross applying the Word of God to the existential sufferings of humankind. Participants took turns to lead each Station as well as to carry the Cross.

The Way of the Cross ended at the Calvary on top of the Sumedha Hill. The reflections at each station, the participants said, were very meaningful and helped them reflect deeply on human realities as they trudged up the hill.

The rest of Friday was spent in quiet reflection and prayer. Participants reflected on their one month experiences at Sumedha in the light of the Paschal Mystery.

Saturday was spent in preparing (cleaning, decorating, singing practice) for the great celebration of the Easter Vigil which began after nightfall. After the lighting of the  new fire and the new Paschal Candle, and singing of the Paschal Proclamation, participants sat in the dark in the light of the paschal candle, listening to the great stories of our Salvation History.

Fr. Parappully who was the main celebrant at the Easter , made reflections on each of the stories in the light of the members' experiences at Sumedha in the past one month.

In his homily, Fr. Parappully focused on the theme of newness and transformation that the Resurrection of Jesus represents.

The Sumedha experience of the past one month had concluded with an invitation to reflect (questions had been given) on the Galilee Song (the Sumedha theme Song) which spoke about "voices deep within my heart"  calling me to "leave my boats behind,""leave them on familiar shores," "to walk past horizons that I know," "to walk into evening shadows one more time" and to "set my heart upon the deep" and "follow you again my Lord."

Fr Parappully weaved the words of the Galilee Song into his brief reflection on the resurrection event.

Participants had written their responses to the questions on the Galilee Song and had drawn a picture giving visual representation to the answers their reflection  had provided. These were shared during the liturgy in the context of newness that they had experienced so far at Sumedha and the further newness to which God  was inviting them. The drawing were presented as their offering around the Paschal Candle, along with their prayers.

Listening to the stories of salvation history sitting in darkness around the paschal candle, weaving the Sumedha experience into the meditation on the resurrection of Christ, sharing of their experiences and the invitations they were hearing and expressed in their drawings, and offering them to the Lord in prayer and thus being fully involved in the liturgy made this Easter Vigil celebration "very meaningful" and "different" from the ones the  participants were used. to.

GOD FRIDAY AT SUMEDHA

The Sumdhans made a Way of the Cross at sunrise to the Calvary on top of Sumedha Hill.

this way of the Cross was specially composed by Dr. Jose Parappully, Director of Sumedha Centre. It focused on humanity's perennial way of the Cross, the many ways men and women and children today suffer all over the world, continuing the Way of the Cross that Jesus of Nazareth made to Calvary more than 2000 years ago.

WAY OF THE CROSS AT DAWN - JOURNEYING TOWARD SUMEDHA CALVARY

 The 31st edition of Sumedha Sadhana commenced on March 15. It will conclude on May 16.

There are 18 participants - the maximum we could accommodate - 13 women (3 from Thailand) and 5 men,

This morning at dawn, the Sumedhans made their Way of the Cross, journeying together toward Mount Sumedha, at the top of which is a representation of Calvary.

This Way of the Cross, was one that was specially composed by the Director of Sumedha Centre, Jose Parappully, and based entirely on Sacred Scripture, with commentary that connects the everyday realities - daily crucifixions - that are part of our world today, to the suffering that Jesus of Nazareth endured on his painful road to the infamous Calvary/ Golgotha where more than three thousand unfortunate ones had been crucified before him by the Romans and whose skulls and bones littered the hill.