How do we keep hope alive during these times?

Holy Week, April 2025

In these challenging times, when hope can seem elusive and despair looms large, Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW, offers us a powerful reminder.

She quotes Romans 5:5, "Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Sr. Rosemarie's words echo, "Hope is the belief in the possibility of a good outcome," a transformative force that can lift us from despair to inspiration.

Why do we call this week Holy Week when every week is holy?  Why do we name Holy Days when every day is holy?  The answer lies in the unique significance of Holy Week. It is not just another week but a week of intense passion, a week beyond all others, a week that carries the weight of our faith. 

For Jesus, this week is one of passion, intensity, and intuition.  Do we not think that Jesus had an intuition of the mounting tension as he entered Jerusalem to the rejoicing of the crowds? The same intuition might have been present at the Last Supper, the Agony in the Garden, and the betrayal by Judas. 

One thing that comes to my mind is that life is impermanent.  We see how the joy of the Jerusalem entrance and the joy of a meal with friends were impermanent.  They changed into sadness and suffering.

Even on the Cross, when Jesus said, "It is consummated," that end, too, was not permanent.   It evolved into new life and resurrection.  And so, we can say that resurrection, too, is impermanent as it evolved into a new and unknown life.

Just as the crucified Jesus was resurrected, hope does not disappoint. It is filled with the possibility of a good outcome.

Resurrection brings transformation in nature and us.  We have hope in the newness of life.

Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW

Holy Week, April 2025

Photos: The top is a Waterlouge App rendition, and the original photo beneath it is by Sr. Jo-Ann Iannotti, OP.