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A Message from the President of Our Lady of Holy Cross College
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
April 18, 2011
Dear OLHCC Community,
In my previous Lenten messages, we prepared ourselves to receive the manifestation of God's light found in the Easter message. We have walked a forgiveness and reconciliation journey and, as a human community, we look with one hope to the future.
This promise is reaffirmed and made new in the Holy Week liturgical celebrations. For example, at the Vigil Mass of the Resurrection, the newly baptized and confirmed members celebrate their belief in the merits of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God's promise of adoption (huiothesia) holds great hope for all. With the resurrection, we welcome the light of life.
Let it then be acclaimed in this Easter Season that God, through His divine Son's passion, death, and resurrection, invites us once again to be His adopted sons and daughters, recalling all His promises that are part of adoption. Adoption is a formal and legal declaration and means giving rights and responsibilities to one who is not naturally a son or daughter. Jesus' resurrection is not merely a theological promise or single event, but a true manifestation and fulfillment of God's promise, actualized for those who believe in Him. In this, let us rejoice and be glad. What a privilege! What a promise!
God told the people of Israel that they were His children, sons and daughters (Exodus 4:22). Literally, they were offered adoption for those who accepted the covenant. Later, this relationship was deepened and renewed through the presence of the Spirit of Jesus who was uniquely God's Son, given to humanity as the ultimate commitment to His people.
The Greek word, huiothesia, occurs four times in the New Testament, Church Epistles (Romans 8:15, 23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5). St. Paul's use of the word huiothesia dramatically extends adoption to all who believe in the effects of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God's beloved Son. To support these adopted sons and daughters, the Spirit of God is given to them as they live their lives.
In the Old Testament apocalyptic, there were dreams of a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22) since all of creation was cursed because of Adam's sin. St. Paul (Romans 8: 18-39) contrasts Adam and Christ when he speaks of Christ's healing effect. All of creation will be freed from the bondage of decay and brought to freedom. We do not see all this now, but we hope and wait with endurance. The God "who did not spare His own son but gave him over for all of us" is on our side. This gives us the confidence to go on. Then Paul says, "If God is for us, who is against us?...I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor present things nor future, nor any powers... will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus our Lord." Again, what enormous confidence this gives us.
How often do we think of this special relationship as adopted sons and daughters of God? Perhaps, if we did, we would experience a closer relationship with the one who transforms all of creation and with all our brothers and sisters.
This is our hope, our only hope, our Spes Unica. St. Peter (1:21) reaffirms this belief and says to us: "Through him (Jesus) you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason -- so that you would have faith and hope in God."
The cross is at the center of our hope. The cross was constantly before the eyes of Blessed Basil Moreau whose motto, for his men and women followers, was Spes Unica. The cross was to be the "Only Hope." Upon this hope, founded on his belief that we were adopted by God, we are called men and women who follow the cross and, thus, bring hope and light to the world.
As members of the Our Lady of Holy Cross College community, you too continue, through your life and work, the mission that Blessed Moreau started, in Jesus, and this is why were are called to be servant leaders who bring to others the hope found in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.
In the spirit of huiothesia, I wish all of my brothers and sisters in the Our Lady of Holy Cross College community a blessed Easter. May we grow more deeply dedicated to our mission of service and proclamation of the Good News through our work of education and service.
Let these words be on our lips and in our hearts:
We worship you, O Lord, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Come, Holy Spirit, Inspire Your People to Renew the Face of the Earth
In service to one another,
Rev. Anthony J. De Conciliis, C.S.C., Ph.D.
President
