Reflection by Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D.
|
As I was walking through the Seminary garden earlier this week, two things caught my attention – a bird’s nest and a holly tree. Sadly, the nest had been blown out of the tree as a consequence of the heavy winds and rain a few days earlier. It was an older nest, perhaps vacant since last fall, but it still made me feel like something had been lost. Something that had once served such a noble purpose – that of nurturing life and growth and development – no longer existed. Any remaining signs of life were gone.
|
On the other side of the garden, there is a recently planted holly tree. As I passed by, I noticed there was some new growth scattered around the tree. It wasn’t every branch. In fact, I could distinguish no pattern at all. Not haphazard, as the growth could be seen at the end of particular branches, but not every branch had growth and it was in different measure. It was easy to discern the branches that had recently sprouted. The leaves on these new branches were lighter in color than those that had been around for a while. The new life was evident and fresh.
|
Death and new life. Death and resurrection.
|
We see the same pattern in our own lives as well, even at times with hesitation and inconsistency. Our faith refers to it as the Paschal Mystery. By virtue of our Baptism into Christ Jesus, we are called to embrace this pattern as determinative in our daily lives. Lent is our annual opportunity, with the help of God’s grace and our own discipline, to bring our lives back in sync with the life of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
|
So many of us can spend so much of our time and effort to get God to come around to our way of thinking. These days of penance and prayer remind us that God brings growth in our lives as a function of his rhythm and his grace, in his manner and his place. God invites us to “Seek His Face.”
|
|
|
Interested in taking a summer graduate course? We are offering Creation and Science (an online course), Conversion of St. Monica, and Prayer, Discipleship and Community.
For more information visit here.
|
|
|
|
Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academics and Catholic Identity Seton Hall University and Rector/Dean Emeritus, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. He holds a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, a licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) from Pontificio Istituto Teresianum, Rome, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Fordham University. He has served as a member of the Archdiocesan Priest Personnel Board, the Advisory Committee on Continuing Education and Ongoing Formation of Priests, the Archdiocesan Vocations Board, and the Board of Trustees of Seton Hall University. Pope John Paul II named him a Chaplain to His Holiness in 2005, with the title of Reverend Monsignor. In 2016 during the Holy Year of Mercy, the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization sought priests who were living signs "of the Father's welcome to all those in search of His forgiveness." He was the only priest from the Archdiocese of Newark formally commissioned as a Missionary of Mercy by Pope Francis.
|
|
|
This email was sent to
400 South Orange Avenue | South Orange, NJ 07079 US.
#
|
|
|
|
