Commentary on the Gospel of

Fr. Johnson Joseph Thurackal CMF

Easter blessings. “It is better to go down to defeat in the love of the Cross than to win the passing victory of a world that crucified” (Fulton J. Sheen). The Easter lesson is maddening but very clear. It is better to go down to defeat in the eyes of the world and to rise in God’s sight to an unassailable victory. St. Paul was convinced of this when he acknowledged: “For his sake I count everything as a loss, and I regard them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (Phil 3:7-10).

Jesus’ resurrection is a gift of new life to each of us transforming our darkness into light and dreariness into life. We could look into the false assumptions about life, vanities that we are after and false securities we rely upon, where the light of Easter has not penetrated, and throw open them to the light of the Risen Lord. Then we find that in every human experience Jesus is risen. In reordering one’s own values and priorities, in stretching out our hands in kindness and compassion, and in daring to hope in the hopeless situation, Jesus is risen.

In Easter we dare to believe the ‘impossible.’ God has the answer. He will not let his creation slip out of his hands. He loves the world. He loves us. And He is risen.

God shall o'er-brim the measures you have spent 
With oil of gladness, for sackcloth and frieze 

And the ever-fretting shirt of punishment 
Give myrrhy-threaded golden folds of ease. 
Your scarce-sheathed bones are weary of being bent: 
 Lo, God shall strengthen all the feeble knees.

                                                                        Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ 

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