Editorial

Recalling the source of our joy while living in the shadow of the cross

During this Easter season, we continue our celebration of Easter joy, but sometimes it’s hard to feel the joy.

As Louisville Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre said following recent gun violence in his city, “My heart is heavy as we learn about another mass shooting, now in our own Louisville community. Even with our Easter hope so recently renewed, we have been quickly reminded that we still live in the shadow of the cross, the cross of senseless violence.”

What is the source of our joy? Surely, we see every day the many reasons to weep and be downhearted. The world can be a brutal, ugly place. During his passion and death, our Lord experienced the awful truth about our inhumanity toward one another in the most violent ways possible.

In spite of everything, by the power of God’s grace, Jesus overcame the darkness of sin and death and guaranteed for all humanity an abundance of life and true liberation from the slavery of sin and evil. And yet, we live in the shadow of the cross.

As Christians, we believe that God has given us the gift of life so that we can share in his divinity and participate in his work of creation. We too often take this gift for granted—assuming that we have simply been “thrown” into this world by chance. We forget that God has a plan for the world and for each one of us. What a blessing it is to wake up each morning and reflect on the gift of a new day.

Yes, we are frequently confronted with problems, illnesses and the unhappiness that result from many different causes, but the fact that we have received the gift of life triumphs over all adversity. We are alive, and that fact in and of itself should be cause for rejoicing.

Our keen awareness of the fact that all life—but especially human life—is a precious gift from God calls us to be determined in defending life without reservation. From the moment of conception to the experience of natural death, every human life is sacred. This is reason for rejoicing in spite of the fact that we see around us the culture of death that constantly works against our efforts to preserve and defend the dignity of God’s most precious gift to us.

We Christians can be joyful even in the face of unspeakable evil because we believe that Christ is risen. Our faith teaches that the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ has liberated us from the slavery of sin and death. Suffering and sorrow are real. We are not naïve about the challenges faced by so many of our sisters and brothers who struggle against seemingly impossible odds.

But paradoxically, we still rejoice in full confidence that the cross of Christ has liberated us from the ultimate consequences of human sinfulness and the mystery of evil.

As Pope Francis tells us in his 2013 apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”):

“An evangelizing community is filled with joy. It knows how to rejoice always. It celebrates every small victory, every step forward in the work of evangelization. Evangelization with joy becomes beauty in the liturgy, as part of our daily concern to spread goodness.

“The Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized through the beauty of the liturgy, which is both a celebration of the task of evangelization and the source of her renewed self-giving” (#24).

When we pray together, when we reflect on God’s word, when we celebrate the sacraments and when we reach out to others in service, we are sharing the Gospel of joy. We do not deny the reality of sin and death. How could we? But we do insist that the victory has been won. Christ is risen. Death has been conquered. Love reigns triumphant!

“The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus,” Pope Francis tells us. “Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew” (#1).

Yes, we must grieve for the victims of violence, injustice and all natural and man-made disasters. But we must also remember that the cross is merely a shadow. The light of Christ’s resurrection shines now and forever in spite of the world’s darkness.

This Easter season, let’s proclaim with all our hearts: “Rejoice! Cast out all fear. We are alive. We have been set free. Christ is risen. Alleluia!”

—Daniel Conway