How I wish I could experience Easter without having to endure Good Friday!
How pleasant it would be to lose weight without dieting or exercising, to master an art without practising for hours, or to succeed in a project without devoting so much energy and resources to it! It would be wonderful to be loved without having to give of myself to another, to be forgiven without having to ask for forgiveness, to be reconciled without having to overcome my pride.
And when I think of the world around me, why so much negotiation to reach an agreement, so many struggles to achieve justice, so much effort to establish peace?
What do you want, such is life! Jesus accepted it and fully embraced this human condition of ours. He would have preferred to avoid the horror of crucifixion, but he prayed: “Father, not as I will, but as you will!” He showed the same way to his friends: “Whoever wants to be my disciple, let him take up his cross and follow me.”
Easter makes us believe that it’s all worth it, that beyond the trial and the sacrifice there is glory and joy. Yes, we can invest the effort because the resurrection of Jesus guarantees its fruitfulness. An old French hymn sings: “You chose to teach us, on the Cross, the way to joy!”
So let us dare to live our sombre Good Fridays because, with Jesus, we will one day know the radiant sun of Easter!