Surrounded by Mystery

Father Solanus Guild Reflection by Br. George Kooran, OFM Cap. – April 10, 2026

A blessed Easter to one and all.

We have journeyed through Lent, which has brought us to Holy Week, culminating in Easter Sunday. To put it in a nutshell, we have been meditating on the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord. This is what the Church calls the Paschal Mysteries. The Paschal Mysteries are central to the Church’s faith. According to the Scriptures, Christ had to suffer, die, and be raised to life again (Lk 24:26; Jn 20:9). This is indeed a mystery—something that is not easy to fully understand.

The Church calls us to place our faith in something we are not able to completely comprehend. When I think of Solanus Casey, I believe he understood this mysterious dimension of reality very well. In his writings, we often come across phrases like “this side of heaven.” Even in his most famous sayings— “What does it matter where we go?” and “Blessed be God in all His designs”—we find an acceptance of the unknown, of mystery.

Our lives are always surrounded by mystery (not secrecy, but divine depth). From his own life, he knew that God was always present through the winding paths he had to walk—that God had a plan, and that if he surrendered himself, God would accomplish His work through him.

As we walked the meditative journey of holy Lent, we realized with greater conviction that the shadow of the Cross falls across our lives. At times it looms large and intense; at other times it remains subtle and hidden. Solanus Casey lived this Paschal reality deeply. In his life as a simplex priest, though he embraced it wholeheartedly, he was also aware of certain limitations. In his simplicity, he sometimes experienced misunderstanding or even rejection from others. He also bore physical suffering through illness. In this way, he lived the Paschal Mystery of Christ in his body, mind, and entire being.

One of his most striking reflections is:
“What does it matter where we go? Wherever we go, won’t we be serving God there? And wherever we go, won’t we have Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament with us? Isn’t that enough to make us happy?”

These words seem to have come from a moment when he may have felt uprooted or displaced. Yes, even in his life, there were moments of deep “death-experience.”

He, like Francis of Assisi—in whose footsteps every Franciscan is called to walk—remained humble, poor, joyful and gentle. This is because, like St. Francis, he was deeply rooted in the Paschal Mystery of Christ. It was this foundation that enabled him to hope, trust and love in a heroic way.

Blessed Solanus, pray for us!