PBMR: the New Creation
On Holy Saturday, Tommie stands at the corner where one of his best friends, Bobby, was killed. He spoke of how the death of Bobby affects him
to this day.
An Awakening
by Fr. Dave Kelly, c.pp.s., pbmr Director
Much of the world is celebrating the joys of Easter.
The earth is awakening with newness of spring: flow-
ers, smell of cut grass, the appearance of the sun after
a long and dark winter. Easter is in the air.
of Christ) is central to a spirituality of forgiveness,
healing, and reconciliation.
For those who have traveled amidst the pain and
the confusion and trauma of Good Friday, the hope-
filled message of Easter is critical and welcomed. Just as we cannot reach the resurrection without
the crucifixion, we cannot remain in the brokenness
of Good Friday. We cannot embrace a stance of the
impossible. We must willingly do what is uncom-
fortable and frightening while embracing a stance
of hope.
We celebrate Easter with eyes wide open. We
do not gloss over or minimize the crucifixion; we
remember and touch our wounds and the wounds
of others. As a society—and as a church—too often
we are tempted to gloss over the wounds in or-
der to quickly move to peace and tranquility. The
Paschal Mystery (suffering, death, and resurrection Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago,
joined others on Good Friday walking among the
cries and tears of the violence on the south side of
Chicago. At each station, names of the 163 already
killed in 2017 were read aloud. Mothers, fathers, sons,
and daughters who had lost a loved one gathered and
continued on page 12
8 • The New Wine Press • May 2017