SISTERS TODAY - Meditations for Holy Week and Easter - March 1969 Volume 40 Number 7

Sep 28, 2026

Sisters Today - Meditations for Holy Week and Easter presents reflections centered on the religious woman's role in the Church and explores key themes of Holy Week and Easter. It includes a meditation by John Carmody, S.J. on mission, incarnation, conversion, discipleship, and the paschal unfolding of Christ's public ministry. The text also offers a “PASSOVER” meditation contrasting contemplative quiet with modern noise, addressing sorrow, faith, and spiritual renewal in the midst of contemporary distractions.

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CategoryReligion & Spirituality

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Pages60

Reading Time2 h 31 min

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SISTERS TODAY

To Explore the Role of the Religious Woman in the Church in Our Time - March 1969 Volume 40 Number 7

Meditations for Holy Week and Easter

MEDITATIONS FOR HOLY WEEK AND EASTER

Mission

Passover

MARCH,1969 To preserve thesilence within-amid all the noiseTo remain open andqulet,a moist humusin the fertile darknesswhere the rain falls and the grain ripens-no matter how manytramp across theparade ground inwhirling dust underan arid sky. Dag Hammarsljold # SISTERS TODAY TO EXPLORE THE ROLE OF THE RELIGIOUS WOMANIN THE CHURCH IN OUR TIME MARCH 1969VOLUME 40NUMBER 7 Meditations for Holy Week and Easter 387John Carmody,S.J. A Conversation—Woman in Our Time 395The Editor Sensitivity Training and Religious Life 409Frank X.Sheehan God:A Mystery,Not a Problem 414Thomas N.Hart,S.J. Prayer and the Attentive Life 419John Gerlach,O.P. A Different Sort of Month 425Mother M.Claudia,I.H.M. Announcements 427 Bulletin Board 429 Poem 434 Letters to the Editor 435 Book Reviews 438 Published monthly by monks of Saint John's Abbey,Collegeville,Minnesota.Editor:Father Daniel Durken,O.5.B.Book Review Editor:Father Benet Connor,O.5.B.Cover Design:Sister Mary Charles McGough,O.S.B.,College of SaintScholastica,Duluth,Minnesota.Indexed in the Catholic Periodical Index. Address all correspondence to Sisters Today,Saint John's Abbey,Collegeville,Minnesota,56321.(Checks payable to Sisters Today.)All manuscripts shouldbe accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and postage.Poetry will notbe accepted until further notice. 1 year $4.00;2 years $7.00;single copy 35 cents.All subscriptions arepayable in United States currency or check or International Money Order.Please allow six weeks to two months for the filling of a subscription. Printed by Sentinel Publishing Company,Hiway 10 South,Sauk Rapids,Minnesota.(Do not send mail to this address.)Second Class postage paidat Saint Cloud,Minnesota. # Meditations for Holy Week and Easter JOHN CARMODY,S.J. MISSION The Son's Incarnation is dynamic.It is not the single event we celebrateat the Annunciation or Christmas;rather it is the whole mission to menwhich these events inaugurate.From beginning to term,the life of Christis a progressive revelation making present to men their Father.Contactwith Jesus begets that decision to repent and turn to new ways whichwe call conversion.By conversion men pass from sin,where they arealienated,to justification.When the call of grace resonates in especiallypersonal accents—Christ's voice spoken directly to one's heart—-conver-sion becomes discipleship.Then the new"way"is service of Jesus'gospel.These are the concepts we now associate with the public life:mission,gospel,conversion,discipleship.Jesus’public life begins withhis baptism by John and the call of the first disciples.The pattern isestablished:an event reveals Jesus'relation to the Father;it is simulta-neously awesome and fascinating,and the consequence is some decisionby the witnesses.Thus,judgment attaches to revelation:Jesus′revela-tion of the Father(whose synoptic equivalent is the arrival of the kingdomof God)is a two-edged sword—a krisis.It divides men into believers(men of good will)and faithless(men cowardly closed).God's primarywitness to his own truth has come into the world;he who is of thetruth hears this witness,recognizing in him his full heart's desire andsurrendering himself.Such is the hearing of faith,which works salvation. And so,with a beautiful balance of patience and urgency,Jesuswalks among men for three years of public ministry.There is an atmos-phere of dialectic about these years,for they march forward to thepaschal dénouement in a rhythm of manifestation and response.At hisown leisure,Jesus draws the veils from the mystery of his person,speaking more and more openly of the Father’s plan.In Mark the mes-sianic secret explodes at Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ.ThenJesus begins to speak of his passion.Men react diversely to this progres-sive revelation—the parable of the sower shows what various fruits thegospel always yields.Those men of the narrative—the few who hangon through obscurity,the few who disbelieve unto hatred,the manyt

FAQs

What is the main message of John Carmody’s meditation under “MISSION”?

Christ’s incarnation is presented as a dynamic mission that unfolds from annunciation and Christmas through a progressive revelation culminating in the paschal outcome. Contact with Jesus leads to conversion, which becomes discipleship and then service of the gospel.

How does the text explain conversion and discipleship?

When grace resonates in personal, hearable accents of Christ’s voice to one’s heart, conversion becomes discipleship. Conversion moves from sin and alienation toward justification, and discipleship is described as the “new way” expressed through service of Jesus’s gospel.

What contrast does the “PASSOVER” section draw about modern life?

It contrasts contemplative melancholy and reverent silence with today’s constant noise—phones, conversation, and music—portrayed as undermining the soundless paschal Spirit. The section also criticizes shallow cultural responses that trivialize or misread the meaning of Christ’s passion.

Sep 28, 2026

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