As I wait for a few minutes before the beginning of the Easter Vigil 2026 I’m reflecting a little on the past 40 days of Lent and the current Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil). Among the highlights was catching the end of a parking lot Passion Play put on by the young adults of St. Joseph parish in Devine, TX. I was just far away enough “to see” biblical characters rather than actors, and it was very moving indeed. I felt a bit transported in a way only theater can transport us. Of course, Catholics believe firmly we are transported each time Mass is celebrated, when the words of consecration make present the passion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus (The Mystery of Faith). Theater doesn’t have this actual transformative power, but artistically it suspends reality for just long again that we think we are present somewhere we are not. These theatrical expressions of devotion like Passion Plays and Nativity Pageants are spiritually healthy; they add to our desire to say “yes!” whenever we hear the spiritual folk song “Were you There?” Happy Easter!
Let's Repent! 