prom inthe asenbhy in he proclamation ofthe word, i he Ena of bed and inthe stared elowship. Contemplation Sevan of divine presence When I mean the words Ij twas ie athe greting “The Lord be with you become (rao of Cod pssst te asemly. When Tuer the ‘were words "Thi amy body" Iperelve faith that Chit tly pest inte lowly cement of Uead When recite the words Ci sre, my tought return to te parable ofthe mera Faterandvercuy experience the compassion of Cod. When Terman he dod fo ci renting place, the liturgy persuades etal a ese my het the pls ofthe mourners These ae ‘Spaning moments of encountering God and recognizing the ‘bert Cut nh people in is words and In Ns sacrament. CGtenplaton e reese of Co's presence, and the May provider ie awenbly withthe Words, symbols, and fellowships thy wieperence hat presence Sonstines nan honest effort o make the iturgy spied and vivacs ween up producing a celebration tht has the eatres tnd qui of ehowbirIn the proces we overlook the Mtugy’s Atvenme and hire caracer The cross slay casts 16 IONE ‘fadow en our ebro. Aid the festivity of song and dane there aways appa the nage of im swho “oered up prayers snd pte with oud cies and fart” (Heb 52). Entvaled 2y is myo ened, worahipers turn spontaneously 1 yet in as ype of contemplation scons and words tanfemequtesperiuousSlence supersede the uality of he try Tamaieerinthevalue fslence, the Kind ofllence at ofes xn a elsh ne dep ofthe heart God's presence it theese, Not surpeangly the Liturgy Conetttton regards stesso fhe conten facie paripaton: "To promote ‘cre ppt, he peopl shouldbe encouraged 10 take Pet by met acamations espera, pasimody, aniphons, and ‘ene wel by actions, gestures and bearing, ANG a proper Aer allebu eave a everet lence” (30) Siesta momentary pause fom activity ti a form of liturgical activity when the mind and heart ponder the mysteriam Armen Secs teangua of contemplative Prayer tis be atadeots wontperwho gues withaweon Chit tne Pentti inte speafaomuneque card oF with tenderness. on the Cll ee oe en |e ‘Chapter One 2 resting in the arms of his mother Silence is the only valid response to Chris's mysterious worda “This my body which wil be given ‘up for you.” Awe elicits silence. "Let all mortal Hesh keep silence” asthe liturgy transport us into the sacred realm of te Last Supper, the crois of Calvary, and the empty tomb of Easter. The Littrgy Constitution assures us that in the earthly iturgy we already havea foretaste ofthat heavenly liturgy where we shall behold Chaist the Lord siting atthe right hand of God (9, “In the reform and promotion of the liturgy, fall and active participation by all the people isthe aim to be considered before ‘else. For itis the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Chistian spirit.” This coneilar “declaration should not be readin isolation from the other concliae ‘declaration that orients and subordinates ation to contemplation ‘Action and contemplation are not mutually exclusive words, but there is hierarchy of relationship between them. While active Participation shouldinotstactfrom contemplation contemplation ‘hould not disengage tel from actiwe participation. The liturgy is the action of Christ and the Chureh: It should not be regarded ‘merely as background for personal contemplation. One without the ‘ther would not be representative ofthe council’ vision of turgical reform. This is obviously easier said than done. To trike the correct Dalance between the two will alwaysbe a challenge. Perhaps good way to conclude this rumination i to quote article 12of the Litargy Constitution: “The spiritual fe snot limited soley to participation {the liturgy: Chestiane are indeed called to pray in union with tach other, bul they must also enter into their chamber 9 pray to the Father in secret” UTURGY AND THE UNIVERSE It was Salvatore Marsili who introduced meas a young student of liturgy, tothe function ofthe natural world in the Liturgy. His spiritual insights, steeped in patristic thinking, on springtime, pring equinox, and full moon relative to the theology of Easter Tee deep impression on me. Born and raised in a country where the only apprecable changes in the cimate are the wet and dry seasons, I ook delight in the northern hemisphere's seasonal shifts. ‘Autumn, with its riotous colors and temperate climate, appealed tomy sense of drama, especially when I tealized that i foreboded“ What Then i Liturgy? ‘chapter One as the death of ratue. Twas quite disappointed to discover that the Iiargy ha ite use for my favorite season. ‘Under the guidance of Burkhard Neunheuser and Balthasar ‘acher [set sbout to research the roles of spring, equinox, and full moon inthe history, theology, and calendar date of Easter. T ‘ntl the work "The Cosmie Elements of Christian Passover,” fn esoteric site Ihave since regretted. My avowed aim was to topose that in their own right the ather seasons ofthe Year were 15s suitable as spring to express the Easter symbol of new fein (Christ In the equator Easter falls during the summer months of “March and April when natures scorched by the sun. On the other hhand, the month of May is marked by rainfall and an abundance of fats and flowers. In my thinking at that time, May would be the perfect time to celebrate Easter in the tropics. Neunhewser was obviously alarmed. He pressed me to think again and think Infavor of not messing up with the date of Easter We reached a happy compromise. My work would propose new symbols for Easter drawn from the season (or month) ofthe year like summer (inthe equator) or all (in the southern hemisphere) but stick to the traditional date. youthful enterprise is how I would describe my fet serous iturgical work. ‘The itusgy engages the entire person: mind, heart, soul, spit, and body. Worship inept and truth is 8 performative act that Involves the participation ofthe mind that understand, the heart that ponder, the soul that is nourished, the spirit that Soars, and the Body that performs the ation. The liturgy is thus an activity thats pital and physic, intellectual and emotional heavenly and earthly, tis ight ofthis that ge the universe as an integral ‘dement ofthe liturgy. The heavens the seasons ofthe year, the cycle day and night, the elements of fire, water, andl earth, the fruits of the land, andthe products of human labor constitute an essential nit ofthe turgical action. Baptism uses Water, the Eucharist uses ‘bred and wine, and confirmation and anointing of the sick use ol Feats obit around the seasons of the year, the months, and the ‘week, wile the Liturgy ofthe Hours tacks the daily ehythm of| day and night. The participation ofthe universe in divine worship Is encompassing Tperceveatheclogial thesis int Inthe Middle Ages itwasbelleved thatthe unconscated hosts were consecrated by contact with the consecrated ors inthe same corum, The hor war led ore ‘crn The elit of bing thesogcaly ners and ‘Boutd nt be entetalnd bu wouldnt cone Renee ard {npottabl Does noe raat het by mee prvi? Do not inner and flovahi inde aracer change in pope? Does not ‘dominant cultural or ube tothe ure gen contact rit wou eto conser he medal cave of comet aed reorected hos an ample of what happens to the nivene ‘hen he tug abso ie popes aed quaies 'A ceremony at the sat of the Easter Vigil dstates the reationap between the wy and te snivese. Tam always {asciated by te apa text ced for preparing the psc {inde before its tad bought inde the church The text srop Steoncis slr and powerful reverberate in he lence of the night aiclaime thay hisresureton Jus Chita ined dominion over th entire uve: Christ yesterday and today / {hebepimng and the end / Alpha / and Omega all me belongs toh andl te ages Tse uie word which ave bbls in ogi rjc onthe widescreen ofthe univers the power image of Chott the Pnttrator “Thisprtiular text hasbeen constant bjt of my rumination 1 say rumination’ because have not goten cose doing scenic fear on it Tam sald Thave not coded my baie enough “ethve dared time and agin share my thinking wit anyone Sting stn embsrnes met at a wah ‘enero uri et But jy my ction purl fom a en "Theologian that dervetrm Somehow te product Sty rete meio ced my unt of the Easter Vig That perhaps usin enough, even fy Margy ste id ot tolerate undocumented afrmaton ‘Adrien Now! inherited the inansigence of hs master Berard Botte who mn typelydomisve words wrote in is review of tay book ire acep what suo aime a the origin of the Gregorian Sacementa) we hve eveyFsson to believe tat ‘Ghat was born Yogi “Chi yest se ody / hebepiingand heen / Alp / sodOmegs alin belong ttm /aaltbe ages Those words Mea proeon ofthe Chars ath aby his eurecton hast6 What Then is Ltway? _nined dominion over the entire universe and all ages. Hes the key fo the Christian understanding ofthe universe, te human world, and us. The current years written onthe paschal candle to signify ‘hat this yar, lke all the preceding and coming, years, i also the year ofthe Lord, thats to Say, belongs to him. “Chistysterdayand today.” This segment isa shortened version ‘ofthe original biblical text rom Hebrews 13:8 that proclaims, “Jeus ‘Chat s the same yesterday and today and for ever” The biblical context is a warning about being swept off our course by al sorts ‘of strange teachings. The risen Christ s the one and same person ‘begotten by the Father before all ages and born of woman in the fallnes of Hine. His le and teachings are not subject to periodic revision. There is something here about history being irteversible. ‘Wie cannot reinvent Christ, though we can delve deeper into his person and the meaning of his words. To know the Jests of history avidly studied theology. Brought up in the Thomistc school, 1 ‘vas intlly perplexed, Yes even scandalized, by the way non- scholastic theologians described his person, conjectured about his /human relationships and interpreted his doctrine. But as time went ‘on I realized that there are #9 many loose ends in my historical Inowledge of Jesus. As I ead the gospels, I found myself asking allsort of stange questions: Dd he really say that? Was it how he Said What di he mean by i? Was it really a miracle or was it an lnterpretation, pethaps a perception of faith? Who is Jesus Clvst the one who is “the same yesterday’ and {oday and forever"? My theological taining had led me to eearch {or the anewer in the Churchsenchiridion of conciiar and dogmatic efnisons. What other document could offer a more secure ‘guarantee of truth about Christ? However, that phase of my quest forthe petson of Crist suddenly came to standstill when Tstadied Iiurgy- What and how does the liturgy speak about Jesus Christ? ‘We are familiar withthe axiom lex orandi, lex credend, which 's somewhat difficult 0 interpret The rule of prayer is the rule of belie, provided of course that orthodox belief has previously {quickened the trgica it. In this Sense ie also correc say thet the rule of blot ste rule of prayer. The corpus of the Church’ oficial worship, consisting of texts, rites, symbols, and feast, is ‘8 compendium of what the Church preaches about Christ, "from Qeperone fis incarnation and bichon hs ascension, the day of Penton, tnd the expectation ofthe blessed hope and ofthe Lars return {SC 10m, The Church uniolis the whole myotery of Chet ati Celebrates the Eucharist the sacrament the Liturgy ofthe Hours, thesacamentals and besings andthe itu ese. ‘What ferenints the ity fom systematic theology i what 1 would describe ab "the experince of the mystery.” By eystery 1 trean the petson of Chast if and issoving wok. Systematic theology feds the mind with docrnal statements about Chis Uimgy, on the other hand, furises ui with the Surpasing txperienceof Chit’ presence pr itu et recs inthe assembly's bration of worship, Inthe liturgy bebeving isthe sume 29 ‘Srpeincing Understanding the dostine ofthe faith etal the formation of personal aonshp ntlecual sent eed othe purtuson ofthe heart. What the worsiper encounters i the tay iso the compendia of Ue Charbel about vist bat the emaving peso of Chit himsel ‘Whenvecxperiencethepresence the power and thcompassion of Chit inthe itugy questions about the histori Christen the ‘boc ofthe gape panages are slenced by the heart. They tecome peripheral fsus Ct Ue same yesterday and today td forever Te itugy offre the security ffith that he lve Fe manisted Gurng his earthly miniry has not waned. He til Spee with power against Cors enemies and whispers words Feomfort an hope the oppressed He ones the wedding feast and dans rom te couples cup offoy. He has not eased 0 Fold the cident ise and chil them rom Bar. He ti Calin the ant ofthe ck andthe family He continues to Bring peace and recnciation to sinners. He js those who mou Toe their denn once he shed fears fo is end L225. Jesus ‘Chit yesterday and todays til here with ws in dhe preaching ‘tie word the breaking ofthe Bread and the fellowship ofthe Secmbled worshipers “Thesecnd segment ofthis Easter Vig text om Revelation 2 sad 2215 deca that Chet isthe “oginng and the end” The ‘pening ine ofthe Book of Gane reads In the begining God ‘ated theheavens and ihecarth Gods. The pening Ie ofthe Goapele SJ ia yl eco of ths creation theme= What Then is Liturgy? “Inthe begining was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word wes God, He wat inthe beginning with God. All things ‘ame into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” The Genesis account of creation prefaced every act of God withthe celestial words everberating inthe flemament: “God sh." God created the universe by his mighty word. The Fourth Gospel identifies thie word asthe Word of God through whom al things were madeand declares that the Word was God, took human fleshy and lived among us ‘The Greek word for “beginning” (arch) carries the mesning ‘of dominion or sovereignty: This meaning is faithfully kept by (Colossians 1:16 and 18: "For in im all things in heaven and on ‘arth were created. . hei the beginning, the firstborn from the lend so that he might come to have first place in everything.” On estes night the Church solemnly proclaims that by his resurrection Jesus Christ gained univers] sovereignty: The whole of creation belongs to him and is subject o his authority and power because it ‘was crested trough him and for him. My thoughts carry me away {othat moment beyond tine when God appointed the Word as the architect trough whom he would eeat the universe. God saw the result and declared that it was good. The Latter to the Colossians says that twas forthe sake of Christ that God created the universe Chis isthe rearon why the universe exists Rightly then, God handed it over to Chit after his resurrection a his possession, Would it ot be great fo sce the name of Christ written all over the universe as its architect and possessor? “All things have been created through him and for him” (Col 1). ‘TheGreekword for“end,”ontheather and, connotescompletion and falfillment. Christ a the end does not merely represent the consummation of the world. When I meditate about Chiat as the ‘ulminationof God's erating power, What springs up in my mind is the thought of finality. Christ s the finishing touch of God's creation. But ean appreciate fully the Beauty and endowments of cretion when Tacknowledge Christ asthe person that imparts meaning to reation and brings It to completion. ASI gaze on the Milky Way that spans the immense heavenly space of listen to the myriad of star that nosy chatter on cleat night ask myself the question that the ancient humanists have posed but have not answered conclusively is humankind the wltimate reason why the firmament (Chapter One 2» ci! isa ambing oght conde hamannd he ceter of Se nie yt Elvan fenton sapere sold stent Co exe cretion tsar ed aan as ‘con continly cngurng th spc vel is re and Chiming owmereipe cin When Chars tem at Ct Stnotapnang andthe ofl crested ng hey pert he Sinking he wsoruman orchestrator hashing {bch ut the es of nu Ct at owe ening Purported ings ‘Gs the bering ae he ed ae site ares the univ nd ced every pit Bev shoul beable to rend Chit name inthe Reson Bis and nal he tgs State up plane Ear athena offen Besa Sed nenen don nth nun ea nd every gu ‘Sol cof a Js Ch Eade oy af God the Father" (ial 21011) ined te ive sare teas Cire spent about Chis a tn 9 Cet Sete ‘rev amused gn om starts ofthe se em SS etphin thle Cnty fs owes ve tthe zing Simbu or epee esa a out To va the sacramental ‘Stef ive wee fours wit he sel of Sanglenes eters ofanesand mon, ecxosctopng Sr he ht th sch snd he cel ow fg Trina Wo ned topos tor seat tte proper and roti ofa ie ae ge or sacemen of Ct {ntulatyae ven oreo inne Whe the egy sa aff he ast sures fae a npn tem sede commerce ei ee Sor hghr evel of extn Fm ng me cmon ao Serra” char,» Chto bute. What Ube tint he wonder ety rd oderef he ree et th ce ot cl tin Cre bt i of Chet, hea Momo emery eens det ny Sous to Cat whocane tpn Eartha malethishome “heya wes np sacs gig Wd em "hh men wm es tring Fowe: Spring orl burgeoning of ere else what happens [thew hen hts ct than Wer cn he oer an, crue hing fwd ha sand ol om os.” whaThen is Lewgy? ‘ie relive this sacramental being ofthe universe in the Kturgy a8 ‘we colbrate the mystery of Chast init When we cleanse ourselves ‘rth wate, ext bread, drink wine, and apply oll on our bodies, we ‘emind ourselves that in the liturgy these same elements function as sacraments of Che's presence, Bread and wine are the fruits of the earth and the work of human hands, but in the Eucharist they are thescraments of Crist’s body and blood. When we chant with ‘the pesimist, “The heavens are telling the glory of God: and the firmament proclaims his handiwork” (Ps 19), we Behold in creation the image of Chast who isthe glory of God and the perfect work of his hands. As every page of Scrapture speaks about Christ, 0 ‘every part ofthe universe mirrors the face of him through whom althings were made. In the liturgy the world crosses the boundary that divides the sacred from the profane. Nothing in this world is purely profane. The Latin profenus originally meant people and things exclude from the temple. The presence of Chvist's ‘mystery in ereation has torn down the batrer of the world’s lenation from God. No one and nothing, except sin, i any longer rofane or excluded fom Chris temple and realm of influence. ‘The third segment ofthe rg text atthe begining of the Easter vgi is rom Revelation 1, 2:6, and 2213. Jevus Chis i the Alpha and the Omega. These are the frst and last letters of the Grek lphabet. Earlier [ought it curious thatthe Book of Revelation should pve such tiles to Chast who is more famaly ‘town a Sn of Co, Son of Mary Savion and Lot Infect, even though the Easter tangy chants year afer year that hes the Alpha andthe megs, havent heard anyone addressing him with hese ieterfthe alphabet Peshaps this due tothe rather impersonal and non-elainal character ofthese eters. We relate more eaaly {0 Chstas our Lord and Savior than a our Alpha and Omega! ‘And yet th Greekalphabelisanacive unit ofthe sclentificlexcon Assenomy, mathematic, and medicine dently te discovers, Snventon and products wing ltrs ofthe Greek alphabet Alpha ‘hechiforbighest star ofthecnstellaton wilebetastandaeecond Gamma ed in conuncton with radioactivity. Science righty employ te Grek alphabet conidering he ich legacy bequeated to Wes dvzaton by the Greek philosophers Socrte, Plato, and Aristotle and the Hellenistic schools of Athens an Alexandria. Greek Aloandria was the center of mathematics, sence, Bolg, ChopterOne 4“ tod medi ells, which the An aol hei and frrfeced,ssyonymous wih cence nd plsopy The language EF tenis cate was Gc ae sin angonge at human popes and este dace were nant Hence seme fo ae that It is ot far-fetched to call Christ by the fit and at lees of the Grsk alphabet These wo lees compass the whole range of te Gc alphabet Chit te ‘iphaland heb apd Gammactalihurankoowledge, which sre expres hough hestore, mathemati fom serie ining and advancements in tcolog. For blevers Chi is ‘than in every form of man knowledge and can imately be found in every page of Scrip spats about Cvs so does very workf cal art every form of uran progres ‘Augustine redid for having Clusia he poxophy of Pao and Thomas Aqua that f Aste, Thank othe works tf hse wo phespher theologians maievalCesanty was abe mate of he ro ls of Neer git net Thioopy and ely, Moder lg fem te invention of be pring press up tthe ser f pce ved inertial ‘ecology tte tohim who eA of human dt, Whe ae gta tothe medieval Bendicine monk, who wih foresight and wisdom spent yeas, sometines» Metie, copying {Sein muses for pose. They ele perv, aed ‘lmerinated erry woe of ang, both sed and profi ifn forth sro, we wont pba rt ave kon Pl, ‘Aol, Cosa sel Gers. The monks ave even he eros orks ‘Ovid and Sapp ety ne pres of atnaation hey were abe preieteChian erent toe ‘Chis the Alpha and Omega of human progres. Whi is sot ving fore in to elt ctr and as 0 Chi takes ‘ome efoto ace the connec between fm a fecha. {Rlaphones, mobile phones computes andineretaresome ofthe reer ed mont ting invention of humankind hey dey Eimear space. Conmetons wth opie ny arto he word ‘frough norman ecology an ops al have reached ot tinprcented age of progres Ox Power fo averse na fw ‘exons the iumere octane and contents OU a ny mob Phone simply tw and amaze me.2 _winse Then te Litrgy? (chapter One a The myth of the god-messenger Hermes wearing winged sandals ae the abe ofthe fying Daedalus and Tears are deep Seated aspiration for fet commmanication arnong humans across the expanse of time and space Modern means of cornmuncation ‘ve suceeded to make such sprains a really. The possbiities for further tecelogea! progress ae limitless Some would push forthe shy asthe However, human acKiverent should not Algeneratent the lated Tower of Babel For Chistian believer, ‘modem inventions would indeed be another Tower of Babe the tae of Cust the Alpha and Omega of human progres, not tkched inten: Coleesians 16 reminds us All things have Been ‘rete though im and for hi—-and all should ultimately find thir meaning ancl purpose nim. ‘The Coatiuton on he Chschin the Modem World explains that ‘heaton of early fas for he lth should no be taken ‘ifthe world id not depend on God and that we could use a ‘had no retin fos Crete In act "he humble an persevering Investigator ofthe sorts of naturel being led ast were, bythe and of God fr i Go, the consever ofall things, who made them what they ate” (0). The popular song writen by Eleanor Frrjen “Moning Fla Broken anil of Chis presence in cretion: Prise forthe sweetest / Of he wet garden / Spring completeness / Whereis et poss” Tine andagainthaverased the question of why ouriturgyhasnot cutgow te agricul pat ean argued, ofcourse, tat in his ‘get ecology an fea of global warming an ogeeulturaly pervaded iugy i excl what the world needs: Yer the htugy should nt be defned veil in the ones ofthe natural phenomens with Ute ater givento tecnologia advances. Tobe fais though, he Desf ling sta sme modern inventions But to my knowledge, oped otk tha their mobil phones and computers eblesoed. Inourtecnagalagedoanlpateturicl song hat willextol the endancy of Chet over the instruments of technology Cit, ster alle not Lord only ofthe awesome cosmos but also of the formidable conquests of human ge “he fourth segment of the Easter Vigil text roads: “All time ‘along tim anal the ages” 8nd resonance in] Thessalonians 51-2, which alts Chstane regarding the second coming ofthe Lord: “Now conceming the Hes and the seasons, brothers and Sisters, you donot need to have anything written to you. For You yourselves know very well hate day ofthe Lord will come like a {hen the night” “Times and seasons sa lich that afrms that God is outside time and yet exercises contol overt The statement “All time belongs to him and all the ages" broadcasts that Christ {is the Lotd of the ages and of human histor: Ido not know how ‘well twill it with some people, even believers, but Ihave tis Intuition tat the text selling us that Christ the Lord of all times thas authority and influence onthe course of evens in the cosmos and the world, For believers, things happened, happen, and will happen with reference to Chriss entry into the work. 1 know that what say sounds rather arbitrary, but how else can T explain the meaning of "when the fliness of tne had come, God sen his Son bor ofa woman born under the le” (Gal 44)? “Fullness of time” is the time God has appointed. lis the messianic age that fulfls the yearning for salvation that every age in man history owing or unknowingly has expresed in hundeeds of ways. All sessonsbelong to Chit and ll times they al converge inhi and he binds them together. ‘The study of history is always a pleasant and rewarding ‘occupation, What often arrests my attention in my study of history {5 the connectedness of events. The mind boggles a a seemingly fncignficant incident that had a ripple fect on suceeding feneratons, or a decison of a leader that shook 4 nation or Fometines the world. More importantly, 38a believer, how do 1 Ima the connection between historical events and Christ? Or {or that matter, where do I postion Chait inthe scheme of what happens in my personal wotld? Cis isthe key that opens the door of our ind to the events both gest and ema that make wp the history ofthe world and the story of every person. We interpret world events inthe light of his person mission and teaching. This not an easy thing to do, One {netncive reaction is skepticism. What has Christ to do with war, natural calamities, scenic progress, and human development? How has his gospel changed the course of human history? How sit that ater two thousand years the majority of the world population Ins not yt accepted, and seemingly will ot accept, him as Son of“ What Then ts Lurgy? ‘God and ord of history? I gues that only a profound faith in the mystery ofthe incamaton can satisfy such queries. In a word, one has tobe a Christian to write the name of Christ across the borders of ime and history. 1 Chis binds together all times and seasons, he cannot be far away from them, He has risen and ascended into the heavenly ‘eal, into the timelessness of etemity. But he has not dissociated ‘incelf rom the affairs ofthe world; he has not distanced hime from human concerns. Chest is the bridge that connects time and ‘temity the new Potifr who not only builds the bridge but takes it "upon his person tobe the bridge Ii through him that we commune ith the other worl. Through him wean converse with those who Inhabitthat mysterious, silent world beyond us, We ind no difficulty praying to God whois present everywhere in creation, but hove do ‘we speak with aelative or rend who has departed from this le? The answer's always Christ: They live with Crist and we can reach them trough Cit We an averse the dark and unexplored gap betwen earth and the heavenly domain through him who had Visited the earth and returned to where he came from ‘The invention of telecommunication has beguiled the tenses of time. In some delusive but not lusory way the present, pas, and. {ature are compresed in one when two person tlk to each other ‘om oo diferent time zones. They are present each other though they ae separated not only by immense distances but also by Hime differences One speaks tothe other who is stil in yesterday's or Bleeady in tomorrow's time zone. Modern technology fas effaced the distance tht separates the three tenses of time, It has provided us with a basis to belleve that we on earth are able to commune ‘with he other beings outside the boundaries of ime. Wihen Chiat byhisincamation broke into ou ime, he didnot leave his Father's side He pitched his ent among us bute continued to dwell inthe ‘bosom of Gad. He isthe bridge that connects eternity and time, “Christ yesterday and today / the beginning and the end / Alpha / ane Omega / ll ime belongs to him / anda the ages." conclude this meditation with a passage from the homily that Pope Paul Vi