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Community Corner

Exploring Faith: What Is The Meaning of Passion?

St. Luke's Parish celebrates Palm Sunday, reflects on Christ's passion.

What are we going to choose? Should we run as far away as we can from the great challenges before us or endure whatever is necessary to meet our obligations and achieve the extraordinary results we desire?   

These were the questions that we pondered during the sermon and afterward listening to the soothing rain of melodious voices from the choir at .

The Roman Catholic church, established in 1982, sits in the middle of a wide open plain with mountains in almost every direction on West Mill Road in Long Valley.

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The challenge of staying true to our passion was at the center of the sermon delivered by Pastor Rev. Michael Drury, on Palm Sunday, April 17, which marks the final week of Lent leading up to Easter Sunday, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith.

Those who believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ reflect on the events of this week which Father Drury referred to as “an incredibly important and sacred week.”

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“During this week, we reflect on the steps that Jesus took,” said Drury.

The Passion of Christ is a Christian theological term that refers to the suffering endured by Jesus in the hours before and during his trial and death by crucifixion. It is the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ that is central to the Christian faith. 

Father Drury’s sermon inspired me to think about our misconception about passion. We generally think of it only as a positive and strong emotion that we have about a goal that we want to fulfill.

But the word passion actually has its roots in the Greek verb “pascho” which means to suffer.

The Passion of Christ becomes the focus of Christian services on Holy Thursday, and Good Friday which fall this year on April 21 and 22.

The Passion of Christ begins with his Last Supper with his Disciples, the trial before the Roman Emperor, his last hours of reflection and prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his torturous journey wearing a crown of thorns and carrying the cross he would be nailed to.

Central to Christian faith is the belief that Jesus Christ had to die on the cross in order to be resurrected to fulfill the prediction of the Jewish Prophets. It is believed that his suffering and death was required to pay the ultimate price for the sins of humanity and to ensure the promise of everlasting life.

In his talk, Father Drury drew parallels between the Passion of Jesus Christ and the challenges that all of us face. While we are not facing a literal crucifixion, many of us feel that we are carrying a cross of one sort or another.

“What does the word Passion mean?” asked Father Drury.

He said, many of us have a passion to be good parents, to excel in our careers, to be good at what we do whether we want to be a good lawyer, or police officer or to help other people to be the best that they can be,” said Drury.

“We can choose to be like Jesus. He embraced his passion from the beginning,” said Drury. “This is what we have in common with Jesus, if we choose to.”

He also spoke about the passion needed to face obligations related to work, finances, and taking care of those who are ill.

Sitting in this spacious church with a choir that sang like visiting angels, I suddenly understood the concept of passion in a totally different way.

Embracing one’s passion isn’t always a pleasant and exhilarating journey as some of the popular motivational speakers might lead us to believe.

Pouring one’s energy and dedication into achieving an important endeavor means to be willing to suffer for it.

According to Scripture, in the final hours of Jesus’ life in the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked God the Father, if it was possible to spare him from what was about to happen, but also said that if it was God’s will, then he gladly accepted.

“When we accept the challenges before us with passion, it is this passion that creates the relationship we have with Jesus,” said Father Drury.

The St. Luke Parish Choir

The choir of 12 people, led by Kathe DeRose, filled the enormous church with more than 300 people and enhanced the exploration of passion.

DeRose, who has been the Choir Director since 2000, said she is delighted to contribute with her voice and her musical skills.

While there are many hours of dedication and practice involved for DeRose and the 30 members of the choir who often have to learn up to 40 pieces of music for the Christian holidays, the result is worth all of the work involved.

“It has been said that singing is like praying twice. We sing some of the most beautiful hymns and it just makes me feel closer to God,” said DeRose.

Regardless of the hours of practice, DeRose said she keeps her eye on the ultimate result.

She said, “All of us in the choir feel very strongly that when we are singing, we are helping the rest of the congregation to feel more spiritual and more connected.”

St. Luke will offer a special service dedicated to the Passion of Jesus Christ on Holy Thursday, April 21, 2011. For more information about St. Luke Parish, visit its Web site at: http://www.stlukeparishlv.com

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