Thursday, 20th March 2008
Death is not the final word
In April
2005 I had the honour and privilege of attending the Installation Mass of Pope
Benedict XVI. I was on the colonnade surrounding St Peter's Square at the
Vatican. From that high point one could savour the grandeur of
the occasion. During the homily Pope
Benedict reflected on the events of the
preceding weeks which included the death of
Pope John Paul II and the celebration of Holy Week and Easter. Faced by
the mystery of life and death he said:
"During those sad days of the pope's illness and death, it became wonderfully evident to us that the church is alive. And the church is young. She holds within herself the future of the world and therefore shows each of us the way toward the future. The church is alive and we are seeing it: We are experiencing the joy that the risen Lord promised his followers. The church is alive -- she is alive because Christ is alive, because he is truly risen. In the suffering that we saw on the Holy Father's face in those days of Easter, we contemplated the mystery of Christ's passion, and we touched his wounds. But throughout these days we have also been able, in a profound sense, to touch the Risen One. We have been able to experience the joy that he promised, after a brief period of darkness, as the fruit of his Resurrection."
Reflecting on events
Those of us who lived those eventful and fateful days can better understand the depth of the reflections of Pope Benedict. He reflected on events in the light of the Gospel and found the deeper sense of the same events. The deep meaning of Easter can only be appreciated and truly lived by those who reflect on current events in the light of the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection. Lent is the season for reflection and as a result only those who intensely live the spirit of Lent and the Holy Week can celebrate Easter. Without this preparation Easter is reduced to a one dimensional and shallow social occasion.
Easter cannot be understood if it is divorced from the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Those who do not look at the Cross as the eloquent symbol of the love of God for humanity cannot fathom the depth of the Easter mystery.
The experience of the Holy Week reminds us all that Christ died for each man and each woman. The Church reflects the face of a crucified God that does not inspire fear, but communicates only love and mercy. It is not possible to remain indifferent in face of Christ's sacrifice! In the spirits of those who take time to contemplate the Lord's Passion, sentiments of profound gratitude rise up spontaneously. In spiritually climbing Calvary with Him, we can experience a certain sense of light and joy that emanates from the Resurrection.
Those of us who seriously experience the spirit of Holy Thursday and Good Friday truly realise the inseparable continuity that exists between the Passion and the Resurrection. Christ's death carries in itself the seed of the Resurrection.
On Holy Thursday Christians commemorate and re-live the setting up of the institution of the priesthood as a gift and mystery of love. The institution of the Eucharist as the sacrament of God's infinite love for humanity is enacted.
On Good Friday during the celebration of the liturgy and the reading of the narration of the Passion the Church invites believers to venerate the Cross as the extraordinary symbol of divine mercy.
On Good Friday we Christians look at the cross through Jesus' cry before he died: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Many times we feel this cry as our 'own' in difficult situations of life, which can cause very profound desolation, create worry and uncertainties. In moments of loneliness and distress, which are frequent in our life, the exclamation, 'The Lord has abandoned me!' might surge from our hearts to our mouths.
In such situations, Christ's Passion offers a new key to understanding. In his Passion, Death and Resurrection, Jesus reveals to us that the final word on human existence is not death, but God's victory over death. It was so in the experience of Jesus and it can be so in the experience of each and every believer.
A life programme
As believers we should look at the Crucifix as the only way that gives meaning to human existence. It is the way of total acceptance of the Will of God, and of generous giving of ourselves to our brothers and sisters.
The Church exhorts us to live Holy Saturday as the day of the great silence. This silence will be broken during the Easter Vigil when we joyfully proclaim Easter and celebrate Jesus' triumph over death, flooding our hearts and minds with joy.
Easter, understood in this perspective, stops being a commemoration of the past but becomes a commitment and a life programme.
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Comments
These are very captivating reflections at this time of the year. As we ponder our faith and try to come back to life from the stagnation of selfishness we try become sensitive to the needs of others. In identifying those needs we also perceive our own weaknesses! How fortunate we are to have been raised in a country where faith is still deeply rooted in our hearts. From across the seas I would like to wish you all a Happy Easter as we celebrate the Risen Christ. Fr. Joe, thanks for your thoughts and reflections.
L-Ghid it-Tajjeb!
I wish a Blessed Easter to you, Fr Joe and all the readers of The Times.