Jesus’ death and Resurrection is the most important moment in human history, an event of literally cosmic significance. And so, when you stop to think about it, it is remarkable that Jesus chooses to set this infinitely unique and important moment in the context of His traditional Jewish faith and the ritual of Passover. On the night before the Son of God is to die for the sins of the entire human race throughout all of human history, this is what is most important to Him: that He celebrate the Passover meal with His disciples, and so connect this ritual commemoration of Israel’s freedom from bondage with His new Covenant of eternal freedom from sin and death.
We can easily forget that our prayers, our rituals, our religious observances are not just beautiful human traditions; they don’t even just mark important historical moments. Rather, our prayers and our observances link us to what is infinitely important. Every time we pray, we are trying to speak and to listen to the One who is the very Source of the universe, the Ground for all being. Every time we go to Mass and offer bread and wine, we participate in that very same Sacrifice of Jesus, which He Himself commemorated in the Passover meal. Every time we pray our Rosary, our hearts and minds approach these mysteries of the Messiah and His Mother.
Connecting to Christ
Jesus marked the most important moment in His life, the most important moment in anyone’s life, with the prayers and the rituals of His Jewish faith. He saw Himself and His work through this lens of prayer and celebration. What would it mean for us to see prayer and religious ritual not just as a very important part of our lives, but truly as the very lens of our lives, as that which makes sense of our lives, that gives them meaning and purpose? Our work, our important decisions, our relationships, our family life and the raising of our children and our grandchildren – what if, through prayer and the Sacraments, we could see all of this through the lens of Jesus’ birth and life, and especially His death and Resurrection? Our lives, even our sufferings, could never be pointless, they would always have meaning, because they would be connected to the One who truly matters.
- Today’s Readings
- Father Charles's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join, too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
