By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
“We are Easter people, and ‘Alleluia’ is our song,” preached St. Augustine of Hippo in the uncertain times in which he lived. He added, “Let us sing here and now in this life, even though we are oppressed by various worries, so that we may sing it one day in the world to come, when we are set free from all anxiety.”
Yes, “Alleluia” is our song, but even with eyes raised to heaven we cannot remain indifferent to present challenges and sufferings. We celebrate the joys of the Easter season, but on this side of Judgment Day we still walk along the Way of the Cross.
The ongoing war of attrition in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East between the U.S. and Israel against Iran’s terror state and its proxies are causes of great anxiety, as are situations closer to home. I often remind people that here in South Florida we are surrounded by “islands” of pain: Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Almost everyone in South Florida has a personal connection with someone in one or more of those countries. We perceive the concern and uncertainty of so many of our brothers and sisters who today live in fear and anguish because of their immigration status. In the face of threats of “mass deportations,” this community so close to the immigrant experience, can feel the anxiety, the fear of the undocumented or irregular migrant. Fearful and anxious certainly described those detained at ICE’s Krome Avenue Detention Center or at the State of Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz.
The sufferings of Christ do not exempt us from suffering ourselves. But his sufferings, seen in the light of his Resurrection, give meaning and hope to our own. His Resurrection is the guarantee that evil, hatred and death will not have the last word in the course of human events. And so, even suffering does not take away our joy in the future promise of our own Resurrection.
Despite so many reasons for discouragement, the Risen Lord invites us not to be afraid and to trust more strongly than ever in the power of love. When Mary Magdalene and the disciples found the empty tomb, their first reaction was fear and bewilderment. They could not understand what was happening or what their Master’s fate had been. But when Jesus appeared before them, that sadness turned into joy, and their former fear was transformed into hope and strength for the mission.
For Catholics, Easter is our return every year to our own baptism... our own “pass over” or “Pascha,” into new life in Christ. But in the gift of Easter lie the demands of Easter: “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,” St. Paul tells us. Faith in Jesus’ passion, death and Resurrection gives us the inner strength to exercise our baptismal commitment to live, in different ways, lives of service and significance. May the light of the Resurrected Lord illuminate every corner of our world, our society, and our lives. May he help us build communities where unity, justice, and solidarity reign, where no one feels alone in his or her suffering, and where the human dignity of everyone — even the most vulnerable — is respected and protected regardless of social, economic or legal status.
Today the Risen Lord invites us not to remain sunk in despair, nor to allow ourselves to be overcome by fear or discouragement. Easter signifies that life conquers death, truth conquers error, and love conquers hatred. Christ has risen, and with him our hope has been resurrected.
Yes, despite the sorrows and pain we experience in this “vale of tears,” Alleluia is our song.
