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Mary Sweeney, Lynn, MA, USA

Easter is still NOT the end of Lent ...

We have been in an exceedingly long Lent which has extended from 2025 to the present and stretches way beyond our Atlantic and Pacific shorelines and the Gulf of Mexico. There has been fasting. There has been gnashing of teeth. There will continue to be deaths and unimaginable losses resulting from the decisions that have been made/are being made by our Convicted Felon in the Oval Office. It is important that decision makers at every level be held accountable, that history tells the true story and acknowledges bravery and cowardice. After all, the Gospels give us that good example. The Apostles for the most part did not shine at the crucial moments. The same can be said of those who have taken oaths to defend the Constitution in all 3 branches of Government and those holding posts of church leadership.
 

Easter is a call to Hope and a call to Action.

The Kingdom is to be built here. We must listen to the King, must listen to the Good Shepherd, even when the local shepherds fail us. Jesus Himself was abandoned by the Apostles. The Beatitudes must be our lodestone.

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Of course, we may draw hope from gatherings where there are large crowds (small is also good; that's how large crowds start) – and they are magnificent and necessary. "No Kings" has been a great source of hope and community, but there is a VERY LONG HISTORY.  Community is a lifeline. Interesting to note who does and doesn't turn up. We know though that the exuberance of Palm Sunday faded within days. Our commitment must not be measured by numbers, by exuberance, by posts and posters. We must commit to being “Hands-On”. Are we hands-on?

What does "hands-on" mean? In this time when immigrants are under threat, when they fear to go to church, go to shop, go to an immigration appointment, surely it is time to be hands-on to provide some help. Perhaps you don't know anyone personally in danger. Well, allow me to introduce you to a family: 

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Jorge family.jpg

Blessed

 

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Easter

!

 

 

 

2

0

26

 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-jorges-family-together-stop-an-unjust-deportation? Can you be hands-on? Can you help THIS family? NOT A RHETORICAL QUESTION.

 

Easter is a call to Hope and a call to Action.

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One of my great disappointments has been the silencing of Pope Francis and Pope Leo. Surprised? Well, take a look at your Parish/Diocesan websites, Facebook pages. Check out the bulletins. For an exceedingly long time, going back to Pope Francis, you will find no ink spilled for what Pope Francis or Pope Leo has been saying. Neither got/gets much airtime. One would almost think we had no "Chief Shepherd". Well, I shall try to do something about that. Two suggestions: 

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I believe that history is also a very important teacher.

  • Think back to South Africa when apartheid ended in 1994. It took Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Tutu only one year to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It was established in 1995.

  • Fiji's first of its 4 coups took place on May 14, 1987. The second was on September 25th, 1987. Two subsequent coups, 2000 and 2006, took place after I left Fiji at the beginning of 1990. Last year, 2025, Fiji established its Truth and Reconciliation Commission. That's 38 years after the first coup.

  • In 2008 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created through a legal settlement between Residential Schools Survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives and the parties responsible for creation and operation of the schools: the federal government and the church bodies. The TRC’s mandate was to inform all Canadians about what happened in residential schools from 1883 to 1996. That's a long time, isn't it - regardless of which date you are counting from?

  • Our first attempted coup in the US was on January 6, 2021 at the Capitol. We are currently in a slow motion coup while our Convicted Felon seeks to demolish the institutions of government. Wondering how long it will take us to get OUR Truth and Reconciliation Commission... and how we will get it, from whence the leadership will come. Some people who have answered my question have said that we will NEVER get it. What do you think? Where will our Hope and Action lead us? Or will we just sweep all the pain and loss and abuse - especially if they are someone else's, someone who may not look quite like us - under the carpet of time? I hope that some people are keeping extensively documented diaries with photos and videos.

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Easter is a call to Hope and a call to Action.

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Let us also remember and never forget to pray for Papa Leone. I am so grateful for his wisdom and courage. His presence assures me that the Holy Spirit is absolutely in charge, though I am not so sure we are listening.

We must be “Hands On”, imaginative (Imagination is another name for the Holy Spirit.), and we must believe in hope. Song for the days ahead: “We Believe in Hope” – Aryana Sayeed, from the movie “Rule Breakers”.

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"We are standing,
In this moment,
All together facing forward,
We believe in hope.
We are rising,
In this moment,
Joined together ever after,
Standing here as one."

We WILL celebrate the Resurrection... the birds are singing. Do you hear?

24/7

Mi casa es tu casa.

Pope Leo XIV  at Urbi et orbi 2026: Full text of his meditation 

Taizé is an Ecumenical Community in France.

The music of bread and wine...
The Maccabeats - Mah Nishtanah - Passover

Multi-lingual Translations

Text of The Haggadah

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