Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
March 13, 2002
Some `mañanitas' in northern Colorado
Bishop Gomez reflects on Easter and his episcopal anniversaryAs we approach Holy Week, "Great Week" or "Major Week," as some Fathers of the Church have called it, it is impossible not to think of the song "Las Mañanitas," which Hispanics use to celebrate birthdays and other important anniversaries.
Some saints called Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday the "Great Day," or "Great Morning," because on this day the Church celebrates the incomparable victory of the Lord Jesus over sin and death.
Even though Christmas, the other great feast of the Christian calendar, is full of the tenderness and joy inspired by the image of God made a little child in his Mother's arms, there are some dark clouds over the feast. An Argentinean Christmas carol expresses this idea in a poetical way. Describing the child Jesus it says, "When he smiles, light he brings ... but in his little arms, a cross arises." It is impossible to forget, even amidst the joy of Christmas, that the same child we adore in the manger still has to suffer the Passion for our sins — the Good Friday that we are getting ready to celebrate.
Easter is different. It is the "Great Morning" because in it there is no shadow of sadness whatsoever. In it Jesus, triumphant, overcame sin — our sins — and with his resurrection he brought to the world the light without end, the morning without evening.
Many Christians aren't aware that the Church celebrates Easter for eight days — the octave of Easter — as if it were one day without end. During the entire octave the liturgy repeats the phrase "This is the day the Lord has made let us be glad and rejoice in it," because every day is celebrated as "today."
An ancient maxim of the Church says "there is no Sunday of Resurrection without the Friday of Passion." This phrase emphasizes that to fully celebrate Easter — to experience this immense joy with the Church — we need to live these last Lenten days with a spirit of recollection and attentively participate in the observances of Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
Only if we accompany the Lord Jesus in the way of the cross will we share with Him the glory and joy of the great Easter Day.
As Easter approaches another celebration that the Lord allows me to observe comes to mind: my first year as bishop in northern Colorado. During this year when the Lord called me to be a member of the Apostolic College — a successor of the Apostles — I experienced that every hardship and challenge, every "good Friday" of Christian life, vanishes through God's mercy in a Sunday of resurrection.
This has been always the dynamic of Christian life, but in a special way, in my life as a bishop. As I celebrate these first "mañanitas" I'm honored and thankful for the blessing of working with Archbishop Charles Chaput and the Catholics of northern Colorado.
I am also grateful to the Lord that I was able to bring solace and consolation to the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver at a time when our nation and our faith was put to the test after the tragic events of Sept. 11.
I look forward to continuing my priestly ministry to serve all Catholics of the archdiocese. In the months ahead we will seek to enrich and increase the formation of our Hispanic laity through the creation of the Hispanic Pastoral Institute. Additionally, we will advocate Hispanic vocations to provide adequate pastoral attention to the Hispanic faithful of this region.
As I approach my one-year anniversary as Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, I wish to thank Archbishop Chaput and the people of the Archdiocese of Denver for welcoming me with open arms. It is with great joy and humility that I will continue to serve the Church of Denver in unity with His Holiness Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Chaput.
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