Easter: The "Feast of Feasts" and "Solemnity of Solemnities"

Easter is one month from today! As I pray and prepare lessons in my office at St. Charles Church, I am reminded of what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states at paragraph 1169:

“Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the “Feast of feasts,” the “Solemnity of solemnities,” just as the Eucharist is the “Sacrament of sacraments” (the Great Sacrament).” 

While indeed Easter is the “Feast of feasts” and the “Solemnity of solemnities” — and therefore deserves the emphasis which it is given, we should remember to carry this same devotion for the liturgy throughout the year.

There are those who can testify that it is easy to slip into a habit of routine commitment. In doing so, we lose sight of the significance of this liturgical season, which is highlighted each time the Mass is celebrated. We can forget the intrinsic beauty and transcendent worth gifted to each of us every time we enter into the celebration of the Mass and receive the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Eucharist.

Take just a moment to contemplate the overwhelming reality which the Mass offers us — an opportunity that we can, if so desired, partake in on a daily basis. It is a gift above all other gifts! The more that we come to understand what the Mass is, the more we will grow in this innate desire to participate in it.

The Mass gives us the opportunity to remember and appreciate what it means to be Catholic. It is truly filled with an abundance of spiritual symbolism, church tradition and supernatural meaning. Each time we are drawn into a commemoration of the “Passion, Resurrection, and the glory of the Lord Jesus” (CCC 1167), we are reminded of the fundamental elements of our faith and, at the core, the center and pinnacle of each Mass, we are given the most beautiful, life-giving gift through the reception of the Holy Eucharist.

St. John Paul II writes is his encyclical, Ecclesia De Eucharisti, that it is from the Eucharist that “the Church draws her life” and “her nourishment.” How profoundly blessed are we to be given such an incredible gift?! For in the Eucharist is “contained the whole spiritual good of the Church” (CCC 1324) — Christ himself, fully and truly present.

May the remainder of your Lenten season — and the upcoming joy of Easter — be a time of spiritual renewal as you draw closer to our Lord and Savior.

Gotta Roll,

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

Becoming Catholic -- My Journey Into The Catholic Church

In five months, I'll be turning 55 years of age. One week after that -- at Easter -- I'll take the final step of a journey I formally began a couple of months ago, but which I've actually been on for many years... a journey toward becoming Catholic. In September 2019, I started the process of Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). It is a weekly class that I attend through the Catholic Church where I learn the teachings of the church in a more formal way, can ask questions to gain deeper understanding, and discern that I am ready to commit to living according to the Catholic Church's beliefs.

I am considered a "Candidate" since I was baptized into another Christian tradition (the Baptist Church at the age of 12). At the Easter Vigil Mass in April 2020, I will enter the Catholic Church through a profession of faith and reception of Confirmation and the Eucharist. This news may come as a bit of a surprise to some of my friends and family reading this, but I have been attending, and volunteering in, the Catholic Church for over four years and my wife has been a Catholic all of her life (a "cradle Catholic"). In fact, we were married in the Catholic Church.

There are certainly some differences in the beliefs of Baptists and Catholics, but I am studying everything closely to gain as deep of an understanding as possible. As some of you know, 30 years ago I obtained a Bachelor's degree in Religion, but now my studies are far more personal and I am on a path which I pray will bring me closer to God in my spiritual walk, closer to my wife in our marriage, and closer to fellow Christians as a believer.

Tens of thousands of people in United States became Catholic at 2019 Easter Vigil Masses. The Diocese that I am in had 93 Candidates enter the Catholic Church earlier this year. The Roman Catholic Church has certainly experienced well-publicized scandals and heartbreaking sinful choices by some of those holding a responsibility to care for, nurture, and lead Catholic parishioners. Turmoil has shaken the church, drawn criticism, and has rattled some Catholics’ faith in the institution -- bringing some Catholics to the point of ceasing to attend Mass. You may be wondering why I would be in the process of preparing to enter the Catholic Church in light of all of this. Keep in mind that the scandals of the Catholic Church are not found only within that institution, as I've written about before in this blog.

I recently read a blog post by a Baptist man who is in the same process I am... of going through the RCIA class to examine the Catholic faith on a path toward entering the Catholic Church. In light of all of the scandal, turmoil and criticisms -- of which he is well aware of -- he wrote: "The history, the global connectedness, the continuity, the tradition, the liturgy, the sacraments, the prayers, the saints, the mysticism, the focus on the poor, the emphasis on justice — all of these dimensions of the faith remain true, good, beautiful and compelling." I agree with that perspective.

Imagine if firemen refused to go into burning buildings to save others and just stood on the sidelines and watched the flames get higher. Sometimes, you have to go in when things are a hot mess. In other words, you have to have faith.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso

-- Pictures and Videos on Instagram: Run_Bike_Cross

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past