Introducing Lecture Series
We pray you are having a most glorious Easter season, filled with light and joy! The event of Christ’s resurrection from the dead constitutes the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan of redemption (cf. CCC #653). Only in its light the present condition of the world and humanity acquire true meaning and hope. This was the experience of the disciples on the way to Emmaus (Lk 24:13–32), who were crushed by the traumatic event of the Lord’s passion and death. The words and presence of the Risen Christ walking with them illuminated what seemed as an absurd tragedy and the end of any hope for God’s victory over evil. In the Risen Christ God has revealed his relentless love, mercy, and power, which conquer sin and death precisely at the moment when they seem to have overcome. He is God’s answer to humanity’s deepest existential questions and longings. Easter reminds us that God is faithful to his promises and his merciful love for us, that he is worthy of trust even in our darkest moments. When we are tempted to despair and give up, we recall Christ risen from the dead, who says to us, as he once said to his disciples, “Peace be with you,” as he shows us his glorified wounds (Jn 20: 19-20).
This is precisely why St. Thérèse would exclaim “We can never have too much confidence in the Good God, He is so mighty, so merciful!” Her whole life, witness, and message are founded on the love and mercy that God has manifested to us in Christ, who died and rose from the dead for our redemption. This is the core of the Gospel, the Good News that the world, especially in our times, needs to hear.
With this in mind, here at Little Flower Basilica we have initiated a new lecture series on Carmelite spirituality, beginning this year with our dear patroness, St. Thérèse. We invite you to join us as we learn from the wisdom of this great “little” saint, who, like all of us, experienced very dark moments in her life, and yet remained steadfast, trusting in the love God has bestowed on all of us in his Son risen from the dead.
Fraternally,
Rev. Jorge Cabrera, OCD
Superior