Reflection : Easter at night

A year of pandemic, what does it leave us? What has it left us? Not in the sense of what its legacy is, but in the very sense of what remains, of what is not lost?

A year ago, we were, to some extent, grateful to the health emergency for forcing us to stop and rediscover values common to all humanity. Whereas today (as Pope Francis also pointed out) we are tired and can no longer find the energy to get up.

And what does Easter have to do with this situation of impasse, of darkness, of powerlessness? What sense does it make to exalt the Light, to sing the victory of Life over death, of hope over discouragement, if we are pushed in the opposite direction?

Indeed, any celebration today could seem like a mere tradition without any relation to the historical reality of the present moment.

If the trial of Christ were taking place now, I believe it would not end with the death of an innocent man. Would the rules of distancing have prevented the crowd from crowding in and clamoring for Jesus' conviction? And probably, the fearful Pilate would not have let himself be influenced by the crowd... He would have maintained his original decision, recognizing the innocence of the son of Mary and Joseph.

However, Easter comes in a timely manner because it is not only a celebration, a commemoration, the remembrance of an event described by the evangelists that took place over 2000 years ago...

Easter is above all about reliving, experiencing in ourselves the effect of love, of true love that can overcome everything. Also, the effect of the Light which, if not allowed to be extinguished, can dispel the darkness. Thus, every man or woman can contribute to make the world different and therefore to save it by any gesture of altruism that forces him or her to leave his or her inner world.

But then, how and when does this process of resurrection, of rebirth, begin?

It goes back a long way. It originates in the middle of the night, in total darkness, in the moment of absolute powerlessness, of hope considered absurd. And yet, it is a process that, in spite of everything, once launched, continues obstinately until the cry that has shaken creation forever: "the tomb is empty".

So it is in the dark, in total darkness, in the night, that everything is played out. And when the first light appears, when hope grows stronger and the darkness begins to retreat inexorably, then Easter has already won its battle.

So it is for us if we want to see the sun shine on our lives again. We cannot wait for the first light of dawn, for the road to go downhill, for the certainties to fill our thoughts. We have to take the plunge and begin the process of regeneration while it is still dark, while we have no answers and while common sense advises us to "put everything on hold." Because "Easter, our resurrection, begins at night or it never begins."

My wish for all of us is that we can learn to see every situation that seems negative as a good time to start working on ourselves right away, so that our lives (and maybe the lives of others) can be better!

A.P., Montreal - April 15, 2021