EASTER: AN EVENT REPLETE WITH HOPE

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is an event beaming and anchored on hope. In fact, it is ad rem to affirm that the life of Jesus is a life anchored on hope. His was a life lived in a total abandonment in the hands of the Father. More than anything else, the cross is the icon per eccellenza of Jesus’ hope, and indeed from his cross we learn how and what it entails to hope.
As a matter of fact, we see the total self-emptying of Jesus and as such an entrance into Kenosi, to the extent that he was subjected to all sorts of evil. On the cross all sorts of evil befell on Jesus:


-PHYSICAL EVIL: The death on a cross is the highest form of physical suffering and corporal torturing.


-PSYCOLOGICAL EVIL: Jesus was abandoned by all, he was denied and betrayed. We cannot but remember the ingratitude of those who wanted Barabbas instead of Jesus. There was the wickedness of those who gave him vinegar while he was thirst.


-MORAL EVIL: The injustice of Pilate who suffocated and sacrificed the truth at the alter of unfounded consensus. The condemnation and death of an innocent.


-SPIRITUAL EVIL: Then here comes the pertinent question: where is God? Here we see the seemingly absence of God, and Jesus feels this abandonment: My God, My God why have you forsaken me?


How did Jesus die on the cross? He died in the profession of the great Hope: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”. Even in the midst of all these evils Jesus did his profession of hope. Little wonder, on Good Friday the Holy Mother Church proclaims the cross “sign of hope”. Here Jesus transformed the cross to an icon of love and hope.


Above all else however, the resurrection of Jesus is the response of the Father to the hope of Jesus. For St. Paul , Jesus does not only teach us hope, he is our hope(cfr. 1Tm1,1). On the other hand, the silence of the Father reveals that the paternity of God is not a paternalistic paternity. Little wonder, his absence during the crucifixion was apparent. Why was it unshakeable the hope of Jesus? Because it was founded on the communion with the Father. At the basis of the communion in question, there is the Holy spirit “Vinculum comunionis”. Jesus dies abandoning himself to the Father who brings the dead to life and calls into existence what does not yet exist (Rm.4,17).


Dear brethren in the resurrected Lord, even in the present economic, moral, political and religious crisis we may be experiencing, together with St. Paul it is my utmost desire to reawaken in you the knowledge of the nature of the hope founded on the God of hope(cfr.Rm.15,13). On discovering this, St. Paul averred: “Our hope will not disappoint us, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Rm.5,5).Therefore, “ we should always have our answers ready for those who ask us the reason for the hope that we have”(1Pt.3,15). Our Hope is Jesus and the resurrection is the reason for the hope. Yes, Christ among us, is our hope of glory (Col.1,27).
Wishing you a grace-filled Easter celebration.


Vitus M.C Unegbu S.C
Rome.

VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

Fierce looking soldiers surrounded Jesus. They were determined to execute the order; nothing must stop them from ensuring that Jesus was crucified at Calvary. Who dare stop them! Their sight alone was a warning. So all who loved Jesus followed mournfully from a safe distance.

However, a woman in the weeping crowd matched her compassion for the bleeding Jesus with courage. She was so deeply touched that her attention faded from the fierce-looking soldiers and was singularly directed at the person of Jesus and His wounds and pains. This experience made her to begin to associate herself personally and totally with Jesus. Thus, it did not matter whether she was not the only one weeping or following Jesus; it did not matter what the blood-thirsty soldiers would do, neither did it matter what people would say! All that concerned her then was the good she could do for Jesus at that moment.

Therefore, she stepped out of her comfort zone to wipe the face of Jesus with her veil. It was as if she wanted to share her comfort with Jesus. Today we encounter the bleeding face of Jesus wherever there is hardship, tension, misunderstanding, unforgiveness, injustice, etc. Veronica has given us an example. Our compassion at such situations must not be mere self-pity. We must translate it into a living experience of encounter by backing it up with courage and action. Jesus says “In so far as you did this to the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). Like Veronica, we must focus our attention on Jesus and recognize His face in our brothers and sisters. This will energize us to move out of our comfort zones to bring comfort to others.

Good Friday reflection
April 10, 2009