“Let yourselves be captivated
by Christ; heed His invitation and follow Him.”
(Pope John
Paul II)
I recently came across this quote from Pope John Paul II and I wanted
to use it for my message to you. Then the Vatican
announced that Pope John Paul II was to be beatified on May 1, 2011,
which is “Mercy Sunday,” a devotion he brought to the Church and the
month of May devoted to Mary, a central person in his life. This felt
like the Holy Spirit was near! “Santo Subito (a saint now) is one step
closer for him.
Getting back to the quote, the
period of Easter is a time for us to “be captivated by
Christ.” It is a call to embrace Jesus more and more as He is the one
who brings us to the foot of Calvary and the empty tomb. He keeps
encouraging us to take up the “crosses” of life and to rejoice in
“Alleluia” joy when the victory over sin or weakness is accomplished.
Christ keeps inviting us to make this life-journey with Him, but we
have to “heed His invitation.” In the roar of many voices at sports
events, it’s hard to hear the person next to you or even the announcer,
let alone to hear ourselves and what is really going on within our
lives. Lent can be that invitation to us for quiet and reflection away
from the noise of the world. When each of us continues to take
advantage of it and opens ourselves to it as a habit of life then we
can “follow Christ” and our life with a deeper focus and direction.
This is my wish, hope and prayer for all of us as we enter
this Holy Season!
