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Throughout the Easter season the Church’s newest members continue to reflect upon the meaning of their experience at the Easter Vigil when they were fully initiated into the mystery of Christ and his Church through Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.

As the Church enters Holy Week and celebrates another Paschal Triduum, we may be questioning what Easter really means for us. We have been through a lot this year. It has been a year of pandemic and unrest and turmoil. Death has cast its shadow over us in unexpected ways.

One year ago, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified in Oklahoma. Who imagined at that time its impact or the changes that were in store for us? Since last March there have been more than 425,000 COVID cases in Oklahoma and more than 7,200 COVID deaths.

I am ready for Lent this year. Please don’t misunderstand me. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Something within always resists Ash Wednesday’s sober call to repentance and a reorientation of my life.

It has been almost a year since COVID-19 became a household word in our nation. Virtually every aspect of our lives has been impacted by this global pandemic. Certainly, the life of the Church in our archdiocese has been dramatically affected as well.

Within 48 hours of the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden as the 46th President of the United States, and only our second Catholic president, Archbishop Gomez’s statement issued the same day proved to be prescient. 

For those who had imagined that merely ringing in the new year might bring a swift end to the nightmarish events of 2020, the eruption of violence at our nation’s Capitol burst that bubble.

The season of Advent is our time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. He comes in history, in mystery and in majesty.

So many things are out of rhythm this year. The pandemic has upset our customary points of reference. The school year, our work environment, sports seasons, travel and holidays are all up for grabs.

This week, we will observe Thanksgiving. It is perhaps the most distinctly American of our national holidays. Normally Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the “holiday season.”

I am writing this column on Monday, Nov. 2 (All Souls Day), the day before Election Day.

“Are there any who are sick among you? Let them send for the priests of the Church, and let the priests pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.”

In less than a month, Americans will go to the polls to elect local, state and national leaders, including our president and vice president. This will be a consequential election no matter the outcome. There is much at stake.

In the First Letter of Saint Peter, the author admonishes us in these words, “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith” (1 Pt 5:8-9).

In this issue of the Sooner Catholic, you will read several encouraging stories from clients of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City who sought assistance and found compassion in their times of need.

As a teenager growing up in a Catholic home there never was any doubt about where I belonged on Sunday morning.

The genesis of the Black Lives Matter movement was moral outrage over the ill-treatment of young black men at the hands of police officers.

In recent weeks, we have seen a shocking increase in acts of vandalism against Catholic images, sanctuaries and holy places.

In the Gospel, Jesus invites us to “Come away … and rest awhile” (Mk.6:31). This is normally a good summertime theme since this is the season that many of us look forward to a change of pace in our busy lives.

Young people are valued members of the Body of Christ. They have much to offer the Church and the Church has much to offer them.