As we walked in procession on Good Friday, we followed closely behind one of the parishioners dressed as Jesus. He was tunic clad, crowned with thorns, and wearing sandals; he made his way around the neighborhood carrying a heavy wooden cross. The “Stations” were read over a loudspeaker. It was a moving sight. Many onlookers stopped in their tracks, pausing to contemplate the scene. As we rounded one corner, a man on his front porch began shouting wildly to his family inside, “It’s the reenactment. Get out here quick! You’re going to miss it. It’s the reenactment! It’s the reenactment!”
Some things just never get old. They’re timeless! Sunsets, ocean views, morning coffee, stargazing, a stirring symphony, the smell of rain, a favorite movie, and so much more. We never tire of them. They conjure feelings of warmth and comfort, joy and peace. What we enjoyed twenty, thirty, or even forty years ago still delivers today. Our Lenten observances and the celebration of Holy Week, the Sacred Triduum, and Easter can do the same. Recalling the great moments of the history of our Salvation can ignite the imagination and stir the heart.
Anamnesis and Mimesis
What we celebrate is mystery, not just history. There is a difference between the history we recall and the mystery we celebrate. The primary difference lies in the depth of the “memory” being reenacted. Here, two terms are key, anamnesis and mimesis. Anamnesis is a sacramental “making present” of a past saving event, while mimesis is the outward, dramatic imitation of that event. Mimesis is not the goal. Mimesis is to aid us in our anamnesis. While mimesis helps us see what happened, anamnesis allows us to participate in the mystery actually present. What happens once in history passes over into mystery.
The words “Ever ancient, ever new!” from Saint Augustine’s “Confessions” come to mind. They describe the timeless beauty of God. In a unique way, they also express the “glory” of Easter and our celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. We touch the past to remember the timelessness of God’s power and presence where we are right now. While it may be important to relive the last hours of Jesus life on earth, his death and entrance into the tomb, and his resurrection, the focus is truly on what’s happening now to us and among us as God’s people, called to conversion and living by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been grasped by God and God continues to transform us from the inside out. “We are a New Creation in Him,” we can say boldly with St. Paul, “Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” (Gal. 2:20)
O, Beauty Ever Ancient
What we know to be “ancient” are the mysteries of our salvation and redemption as revealed through Jesus’ life, suffering, death and resurrection. These past days we have once again been plunged into this Paschal Mystery, the sole remedy for the ancient curse of sin and death. We remember how Jesus loved us.
O, Beauty Ever New!
What we know to be “new” is more a “who” than a “what.” Across Rhode Island this Easter, the “elect” passed through the waters of baptism, were anointed with the Spirit, and nourished by the Body and Blood of the Lord in Holy Communion. Newly and fully made our brothers and sisters, so many were received into God’s family. Christ’s life is new in them as they begin to live the Faith that all of us in the Church profess. Their faces radiate the beauty of Christ’s resurrection for all to see. In them, the Church is new! They are alive in Christ!
I wish all of you, but especially our sisters and brothers who are newly baptized and welcomed into the Church, a most Blessed and Happy Easter. Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen! Happy Easter! Yesterday, Today and Forever!
