Easter is the triumph of life over death. With an exultant “Alleluia,” it proclaims that God’s love is more powerful than human hatred. It celebrates hope and a light at the end of the tunnel for those overwhelmed by life’s circumstances. But, during this Easter, for the millions of people worldwide who have been devastated by a crippling pandemic, armed conflict, or natural disaster, the tunnel is still dark, and the end is bleak and far away.
Holy Week is when the Christian community recollects and shares in the pain of Christ in his betrayal, abandonment and death on the Cross. Today, the suffering body of Christ is the people of God.
The Word of God reminds us that wherever humanity suffers hunger, abuse, betrayals, and killings, Christ himself suffers. To Saul, who persecuted the believers, came a message, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5). Whenever our injustice and greed destroy people’s lives and the natural world, but we do nothing to stop them, we crucify Jesus in our hearts.
Easter presents the image of a God who is willing to descend into the realities of human miseries and suffer and die with us. Our God gets in the game and takes punches along with us. Our faith teaches us that death cannot defeat those who rely on God. But we have hundreds of families in Hong Kong grieving for their loved ones who lost their lives in the latest surge in the pandemic.
In Bucha, a suburb of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the killing of hundreds of civilians by the Russian troops is being uncovered. At least 300 were killed with no provocation, and satellite imagery showed bodies lying in the streets. Thousands more have died since the February 24 invasion.
Does Jesus’ resurrection mean anything for those grieving and in deep pain? Some parishioners raise a genuine doubt: “Our churches are forced to remain shut throughout Lent and even in the Holy Week and Easter. Is it because God punishes the Church or has abandoned the Church? The lament of Jesus, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is echoed in their anxiety.
The Lord’s cry on the Cross was on behalf of those who suffer, and it does not end in desperation or with the Cross. It culminates in the resurrection.
The resurrection story is not something that is limited to Easter Sunday, but it is the whole Gospel. Jesus raised Lazarus and the widow’s son at Naim, healed the lepers, the demoniacs, the paralysed, the blind, and restored human dignity to those facing discrimination—these are all resurrection moments. Every time we extend hope, assurance and support to people, we are celebrating a resurrection.
Easter is a commitment to proclaiming this good news, both in words and in actions, to bring love, solidarity and compassion when people’s lives are in despair. Mary Magdalene and the apostles experienced Easter when they had the opportunity to see the Lord in person. The story of Thomas reiterates that seeing the Lord is the essence of Easter. How do we see the Lord today? By making Jesus present to the troubled and saddened lives of those around them so they, too, may experience the joy of the resurrection. Then we can sing together, “Alleluia, the Lord is Risen!” jose, CMF
