Dear Gimnasio’s Community:

I gladly write to you during the Holy Week to proclaim to you the Good News of the Lord’s Easter, the victory of love and life over death and sin, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This year we have to live holy week and the celebration of Easter in quarantine, in our homes to face the harsh reality of the Coronavirus pandemic. Amid the radical change that this disease is imposing on us, we are invited to recognize some of life’s most important truths.

This historic time is appropriate to identify the most meaningful people, places and activities of socialization and recreation for our lives. It is a time to rediscover the beauty of family, activities and games that can be done at home; at the same time, these circumstances expose all the limits, difficulties, wounds, and sins we have. Sometimes family coexistence is very difficult and we feel powerless in the face of all the uncertainties imposed to us by this historical moment.

It is a time to recognize our need for God’s forgiveness and mercy.

Last week, Pope Francis invited us to live the drama of these circumstances in the light of faith. We are living a very similar experience to the apostles on the boat when they were frightened and disoriented by the unexpected and furious storm.

Like the Apostles, we are invited to recognize our need to be accompanied and comforted by the Lord. The Pope wants to exhort us to take seriously the invitation for Jesus to enter the boat of our lives and of our families. In these weeks our homes have become schools of love, patience and mercy. With Him on board, we can use this time to grow in love for God and the others.

I invite you to pray daily with your families for all the people who are directly committed to the fight against the virus, pray for those who lead our beloved country and those who have to make vital decisions for the welfare of all Colombians, pray for all the families and people who are suffering the effects of this pandemic and for all the members of our beloved school community.

During these days I want to recommend you to live solidarity through small acts of charity in your homes and for those who suffer the most and the ones who are in need.

With the certainty of faith in the victory of Jesus’ life and love, let’s use this time to let the light of Christ guide and accompany our lives.

Happy Easter to all.

Father John Roderick

Chaplain