If someone were to ask you how are the Passover and Eucharist related, what would you say? We must always remember that the Passover is the Jewish memorial meal that focuses on freedom from slavery. When Jews celebrate Passover, they sing “We were once slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, now we are free.” Jesus was celebrating Passover when he hosted the Last Supper and said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.“ Jesus is all about freedom from sin, as well as freedom from anything that could hurt or destroy us. God opposes enslavement of any kind: physical, psychological, economic, relational, or spiritual. Each of us has been enslaved to something at one time or another, but God is always working to free us.

Today we hear Joshua tell us how God rolls away the disgrace of Egypt. He is talking about the experience of slavery and humiliation. We know what this feels like: feelings of shame, the burden of guilt, a sense of regret about poor choices and missed opportunities.

The good news is that God has rolled away our disgrace. It is gone - a thing of the past, forgiven and forgotten. Disgrace is replaced by grace, giving each of us the opportunity to begin a new stage in the life that God desires for us. As people who have been forgiven and freed, we can never be involved in oppressing other people. God desires freedom and justice for everyone.

Let us be mindful today to keep our eyes open to the suffering of people around us. As liberated people, we need to do the work of liberation. As forgiven people, we need to rise to the challenge of forgiveness. In our multicultural world, this means that we try to live in harmony with the people around us. In our highly competitive world, this means that we do not step on people who may seem to be in our way. As followers of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we do not show violence toward our neighbor. If we live this way, we will direct our life story based on the virtues of justice, mercy and faith, as Jesus did. We will strive to love our neighbor as ourselves as we encounter them in this land that God has given us.

Where might we need to reflect on this and take it to heart and put it into practice? So much of today’s world is technology driven. Technology is great, but it cannot solve every problem because ultimately what makes society work is its spiritual values.

I leave you with this prayer for peace to offer for our world that desperately needs the gift of peace.

God of peace, make us contemplatives of nonviolence, prophets of nonviolence and teachers of nonviolence. Help us to announce the revelation of justice and the revolution of love, that we may welcome your reign of peace.

God of peace, give us courage and strength to say NO to the evils of war, greed, poverty, and violence and say YES to the reign of Jesus, filled with nonviolence, love and justice for all humankind.

In the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus. Amen!

Finally, a word of thanks to all the women who shared their faith-filled reflections last weekend on our Gospel, the woman at the well who received the living water, Jesus.

And remember to plan on joining us for the sacrament of healing, Reconciliation, Tuesday evening April 1 at 7:00 PM at Saint Giles Church. We are also offering the service again at noon on April 5 at Saint Catherine-Saint Lucy Church. We hope that for those who do not like driving or going out in the evening, this service will be more convenient.

With you a Christian. For you a priest.

Father Carl Morello
Pastor
Ascension and St. Edmund Parish
St. Catherine of Siena – St. Lucy and St. Giles Parish