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Dear Confreres!
True – these are dark days – a huge, suffocating cloud of fear and anxiety engulfs the whole humanity. Like the ‘Dark Night of Soul’ experienced by saints like St John of the Cross, the whole humanity’s hope is strangled by the darkness of despair that comes in the name of COVID. These are tough times, abnormal times, these are periods of faith in which our certainties, hopes for the future, beliefs about God, and even faith itself are eclipsed. Over a million people are infected, more than 50,000 people have died and 200 countries are affected. Italy and Spain have seen several priests and doctors dying, most of them in their service to the affected people. The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse seemed to have arrived. Yet we proclaim with joy “Alleluia! Jesus is risen!”
Thousands have been crucified to a cruel death by a viral organism that cannot be seen by our naked eyes. Thousands have been walking an excruciating Way of the Cross in many countries. We pray that thousands afflicted and walking in their way of the Cross, be strengthened by the faith that the at the end of the journey of their Cross is the Resurrection. Let us shout with joy – despite all challenges – “Alleluia! Jesus has risen!”
Pope Francis once said the Church should be like a “field hospital”, available where human brokenness and the wounded need the healing touch of Mother Church. Yet under the circumstances, we cannot congregate and we do not have access to this ‘field hospital’. This situation reminds us of the Holy Saturday of the Holy week, the ‘Long Holy Saturday’ when the Church waits amidst all signs of death, abstaining from any common celebration, meditating on the passion and death of the Lord and awaiting his resurrection.
Let us be life giving people, whatever the circumstances be! Jesus lives, and we will live, let us love, live and let everyone live!
Wishing you a Joyous Easter!
Fraternally in St. John Bosco,
Fr Thathireddy Vijaya Bhaskar SDB
Provincial
