The Stations of the Cross are a traditional devotion to our Lord’s passion that is rooted in the Incarnation. Our God was born into history and lived among us at a particular place and time. This makes it possible to travel to the actual places where Jesus lived, suffered, died and rose from the dead.
This Sunday’s gospel completes the great “triptych” from John’s gospel of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, his healing of the man born blind, and concluding this Sunday with Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead. In these readings given to us on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent, Jesus is revealed as the Living Water, the Light of the World, and now as the Resurrection and the Life.
The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord is a special time for our ministry, as our campus ministry chapel is named in honor of Our Lady of the Annunciation. A large reproduction of Fra Angelico’s painting of the Annunciation greets students in the narthex of the chapel, and Russian-style icons of Mary and St. Gabriel adorn the wall of the sanctuary on either side of the tabernacle. The top of that wall is emblazoned with Mary’s words to Gabriel, “Be it done unto me according to thy word” (Lk 1:42).
With the rapidly developing news of the coronavirus outbreak and the many and changing ways our nation, our Church, and our university have responded to the threat it poses, it can be easy to forget that we are in a special season in the Church year. In the blink of an eye, my social media feed went from “Tips for Fasting during Lent” to “Tips to Surviving Quarantine.” My campus ministry planning went from “how can I help my students grow in their prayer life” to “when will I actually see my students again?”
Dear Campus Ministry family,
Suffice to say, things have been changing rapidly as our country, our campus, and our Church have taken steps to ensure the safety of our community in response to the Covid 19 coronavirus pandemic. Western Carolina University, like many other schools, has closed residential halls and transitioned to remote instruction for the rest of the semester. The Diocese of Charlotte, like many other dioceses, has suspended the celebration of all public Masses in compliance with CDC recommendations limiting gatherings to ten people or less. The diocese has also instructed all parishes, ministries and organizations to cancel any gathering of more than ten people. This is in effect at least until Holy Thursday (April 9). A decision will be made about Masses and activities for Holy Week and beyond closer to the time based on how things progress.
