The Easter season plays a major role in Catholics’ encounters with joy and hope, and this Easter, with the death of Pope Francis, Bishop Kevin Kenney said, Catholics would do well to remember the pope’s life and how he lived the Gospel.
“That’s what Jesus asks us to do, is to live the Gospel during these 50 days, to go forth and proclaim to others, to share the story of the resurrection today,” Bishop Kenney told Patrick Conley, host of the “Practicing Catholic” show, for an episode set to air at 9 p.m. May 2 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Bishop Kenney suggested Catholics look at how they approach the empty tomb.
“We go back and tell people, ‘Hey, I’m free. I’m happier now. Even in the midst of struggling and challenges, I find hope. Why? Because of what Jesus fulfilled for us in his resurrection,’” Bishop Kenney said. “It’s a great sense of hope that eternal life is ours. God’s mercy is there for us. God’s forgiveness and the great love that Jesus again has for us (are there). Jesus didn’t go back and scold all the disciples for abandoning him, denying him on those last days. He went back and offered them peace, made peace with them.”
Bishop Kenney explained that the triduum can reshape outlooks on life when Catholics recognize and walk through what Jesus experienced in his final moments, from scourging and beatings to betrayal and abandonment.
“We, too, realize that in our own sufferings and our own difficulties, there’s hope,” Bishop Kenney said. “There’s a light on the other end, even if we can’t see it. People around us are trying to lead us to that light as well. That hope to say that you will get stronger, you will see something better.”
Bishop Kenney said that “faith can grow immensely” during challenging times when trust is placed in God and help is sought.
“(I)f we put our trust in the Lord, if we put our trust (in the fact) that God is there, and if we trust that healing comes through the name of Jesus into our life through others, then we appreciate others being around us during those times of struggles and challenges.”
To hear more from Bishop Kenney about hope during Easter, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. May 3 and 2 p.m. May 4.
Also on the program, Tom Schulzetenberg, the director of strategic projects at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and his wife, JoAnn, the head of school at the Way of the Shepherd in Blaine, shared what it was like to live in Rome during the first four years of Pope Francis’ papacy. And Sheila McCallum, an artist from Little Falls, explains how art and faith intersect.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
