Dear Holy Cross Family,
As we move through the liturgical celebrations beginning with Palm Sunday, there is an appealing richness to the “literature” of the scriptures. Beginning with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, through the deal Judas struck with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus, continuing through the Triduum, we are coming to the climax of the liturgical year!
If you stand to the north of Holy Cross High School, at the bus stop at 26th and Francis Lewis Blvd., you can see the banners on the north wall that represent the pillars of a Congregation of Holy Cross sponsored education.
As we near the end of Lent – 40 days of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and service – we are reminded of one of the pillars of a Holy Cross education. Unfortunately, for much of this Lent we have had to keep our distance from others to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. Naturally, this has limited our ability to be of service, and has hampered the growth of our relationships with others.
Keeping our distance, though, is an act of wisdom – another pillar of a Holy Cross education. This year, however, we do continue to gather as a virtual community. Unfortunately, we’ll each have to observe the Triduum individually or with only the members of our immediate household. There will be no physical gathering of the community for liturgy, and no communal sacraments this Easter Vigil. Yet, in spite of difficulties, we are called to stay true. We see past the present, and look with faith to the future, remembering that Christ’s story does not end with death… but rather, with the Resurrection!
Think of how the disciples must have felt knowing Jesus was in a tomb. They found themselves at an incredibly low point with painful feelings of fear and disappointment… even abandonment. At that moment, it seemed like Jesus’s ministry had ended with tragedy and misery on the cross. Yet, in a way they never expected, God brought good out of the evil. So much good, in fact, that He conquered sin and death forever. It is only with faith, in the light of the resurrection, that the Holy Cross motto makes sense. With faith, we cry out, “Ave Crux, Spes Unica!” That is, “Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope!”
We are each called to live in faith and know by faith that God can bring good out of this Coronavirus crisis as well. In faith, we will find rebirth and renewal coming out of even this situation. Even though we have so much to worry about and only an online community for support, we keep the faith and look ahead for the resurrection to come.
As members of the Holy Cross family, we challenge everyone to remember his or her call to live out the four pillars of a Holy Cross education – community, service, wisdom, and – above all – faith. We challenge you to Be HC for others this Triduum.
Stay safe, healthy, faithful, and hopeful this Triduum. Remember that it all ends with the Resurrection!
Ave Crux, Spes Unica,
Mike Truesdell