By Anthony Selvanathan
Special to the Herald
There are seasons in life when it seems as though everything is changing at once.
Students close their textbooks and step into summer, carrying both relief and uncertainty about what comes next. Families celebrate graduations and prepare for new beginnings. Another school year gives way to a different rhythm of life.
Even birthdays have a way of inviting reflection. As I recently marked my 33rd year, I found myself thinking less about milestones and more about the passage of time. Some hopes have been realized. Others remain entrusted to God. There is gratitude for what has been and anticipation for what has yet to come.
Our local church also finds itself in such a season.
As we prepare to begin the bicentennial celebration of the arrival of the Catholic faith in Hawaii next month, we look back with gratitude on the generations who received, lived and shared the Gospel in these islands. At the same time, we look ahead.
After more than 21 years of shepherding the Diocese of Honolulu, Bishop Larry Silva prepares to conclude his ministry, and we prepare to welcome Honolulu’s bishop-elect, Jesuit Father Michael T.T. Castori, as our next bishop. It is a moment marked both by thanksgiving and hope.
We often celebrate arrivals. Graduations. Anniversaries. Installations. New appointments. Yet much of life is actually lived in between.
Scripture is filled with these in-between moments. Abraham leaves what is familiar without knowing where the journey will lead. The Israelites spend years between Egypt and the Promised Land. The disciples wait in prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost, uncertain of what the future will bring but trusting in the promise Christ had made.
Perhaps that is because God often does some of his deepest work there.
Transitions remind us that we are not in control of every outcome. They invite us to loosen our grip on certainty and to remember that faith has never depended upon having all the answers in advance. The temptation is either to cling too tightly to what has been or to rush impatiently toward what is next.
The Christian life offers another way. It teaches us to give thanks for what has passed, to be attentive to the grace present now and to entrust the future to God.
As the church in Hawaii stands at the threshold of its third century, perhaps this is the invitation before us. To honor the faithfulness of those who came before us. To pray for Bishop Silva with gratitude for his years of service. To welcome Bishop-elect Father Castori with openness and hope. And to remember that the mission entrusted to the church remains the same: to proclaim the Gospel and lead others to Christ.
We may not always know what lies ahead. But we do know this: The same God who guided missionaries across oceans, sustained generations of faithful Catholics in these islands and accompanied us through every season of our own lives has not ceased to walk with his people.
Sometimes faith is less about seeing the entire path before us and more about taking the next faithful step. And perhaps that is enough.