Galilee and Jerusalem
I would like to suggest that we keep the words of the angel from Easter Sunday’s Gospel according to Mark close to our hearts. The angel said to the amazed women in the empty tomb of Jesus, “You seek Jesus … He has been raised … He is going ahead of you to Galilee, there you will see Him as He told you.”
However, the early part of the Acts of the Apostles tell us that Jesus told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem. I can imagine that it was important for Jesus to first show people in Galilee that he had indeed risen. He had many followers there and it was his home. It would be proof for them that their belief in him was not in vain after his death.
Most likely, after a short time, he and his disciples returned to Jerusalem and appeared to people there, and in doing so proved he had indeed risen from the dead to those who put him to death, doubted him or accused him of blasphemy.
Most importantly, Jesus had indeed risen, and in doing so beat death and has given us all hope, regardless of where we live. He has fulfilled a promise that he made to raise us all up in the resurrection with him. Let us also be attentive to the ongoing stories of his appearance to the early church that will be proclaimed again this Easter season over the next six weeks.
Welcome Nancy Hulsebosch
Nancy Hulsebosch will share a reflection with us at all Masses this weekend. She is on staff at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, our neighbor in Barrington. Nancy is a Spiritual Director trained in the principles of Ignatian spirituality. During Mass, she will prepare us for her presentation this Wednesday, April 10 entitled: Be More … Joyful.
Joy is at the heart of the Fourth Week, or phase, of the Spiritual Exercises. It invites us into what Ignatius calls, “The energy, joy and chaos of the Resurrection.” As we began to construct this year focused on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola and the overarching theme of Be More surfaced, we all realized that the ultimate Be More is manifest in the resurrection of Jesus Christ in Easter that both inspires and challenges us to Be More.
The power of the Resurrection, and all of the new life that we experience because of it and through it, can only be FULLY appreciated by reflecting on the adventure of the previous three phases so, we have been invited, engaged, connected and challenged to:
BE MORE in prayerful Awareness during Week 1
BE MORE Like Christ presented in the scriptures in Week 2
BE MORE Connected with Christ’s suffering and death in Week 3, and now more joyful like Christ in his Resurrection.
Many of our teens who have participated in a Kairos retreat continue the retreat experience by ‘Living the Fourth.’ This means that they continue the energy of the three-day retreat, and the fourth day symbolizes the continuation of the graces experienced during the retreat.
The Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises is a similar dynamic. Not only do the exercises take you through a series of powerful reflections, but revisiting the key moments of the exercises makes the new life of the Resurrection come alive in new and different ways.
Nancy will help us in focusing on a key emotion of new life – Joy. She brings a wealth of spiritual experience and knowledge to share with us. She and her husband Tom have been married for 35 years, they have four children and they founded The Hulsebosch Hope Foundation supporting non-profit organizations fostering creative and sustainable programs to promote physical, mental and economic well-being on the south side of Chicago. She received her undergraduate degree from Marquette University and a Master’s degree from National-Lewis University.
The final part of our Be More series will be a silent overnight retreat at Bellarmine led by Fr. Paul Macke at Bellarmine entitled Put Out Into Deep Water-Going Deeper in Our Spiritual Lives, Friday and Saturday June 14 and 15. Look for details on our website and the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House website.