By Fr Joseph Reddy SVD
Life presents to us many Good Fridays, in the form of obstacles, helplessness and brokenness. But what brings us to Easter Sunday is our understanding that we don’t get upset with little hardships in life because our life’s journey is like a road and difficulties are like humps. They help us to avoid dangerous accidents. So, learning to enjoy the challenges of life and moving on is the key to eventually arriving at Easter.
Our Good Fridays are not the end for we all will have Easter Sundays too. My Dad often says that if things are happening according to your wish that’s good, if they aren’t, that’s even better. If they are not happening according to your wish, they are happening as per some Divine force. That Divine force will never think ill about you, so you need to respect that as being better.
The other thing my dad talks about is that, "Life is a struggle. So long as there is life, there is struggle”. I think we should accept this fact that our life is never going to be easy, something or other is going to happen. So rather than sitting in a despondency, beware that tomorrow is going to be another challenge, another struggle. But eventually you will have a well experienced life with more zeal to face future Good Fridays and arrive at Easter Sundays.
Often times, this is how life would offer us difficulties on the journey. Our dreams may get crushed, our hopes shattered, our efforts stumped, but remember tough people, don’t cry. Rather they try to rebuild their dreams. Great people, don’t give up but live up to the challenges that life throws at them.
Inspirational individuals, don’t 'go through, but rather grow through', the difficulties that come along their path. They start and face the difficulties all over again with great hope, with great determination and grit. And that is how they can reach the highest peaks in life - Easter Sundays.
As we enter the Triduum, the cream of the Lenten Season, let us be reminded that Jesus our Lord suffered and died for us on the cross and resurrected on Easter Sunday. Good Friday, for us Christians is not the end. As St Augustine says, “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song”. The real indication of overcoming Good Friday and arriving at Easter Sunday is a sign that all human beings have God with in us. Deep within every being is the spirit of Jesus. May the spirit of the risen Lord rule our hearts to face the Good Fridays and experience the Easter Sundays in our life.
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