John Paul is gone, but his Easter hope remains

By Paul Schratz

This is the first Easter in nearly three decades that we haven’t had Pope John Paul II with us.

During these days when we’re preparing for the “feast of feasts” and as the world reminisces on the anniversary of John Paul’s death, it’s worth reflecting on what the Prophet of Hope had to say about Easter in the earliest days of his pontificate.

It was 1979, and while in many ways the world was very different from today’s, in other ways it hasn’t changed much. It was and remains filled with violence, poverty, misery, and strife of every manner.

Approaching Easter of that year, the Pope reflected on the Resurrection as described in the Apostles’ Creed, “On the third day He rose again,” calling those words the truth that our faith rests on like a cornerstone.

The Resurrection is the universal hope, said John Paul, and the remedy to the world’s ills: “the human sufferings, disappointments, humiliations, crosses, violated human dignity, disrespected human life,” which are gathered up and joined with Christ.

How necessary Christ’s presence is to our world, he said, since from it comes “His commandment of love, that individuals, families, nations, continents, may enjoy peace.”

If there’s one aspect of John Paul that is frequently mentioned one year after his death, it’s his sense of hope. (I used to think his ability to communicate truth was his most significant contribution, but I realize now that hope was what made it possible for him to convey truth.)

John Paul knew the evils of the world as well as anyone. He grew up in the midst of one of history’s most horrific periods, and his station meant he had a natural perspective on the abuses, corruption, and violence taking place around the world.

He also recognized that our response, like the women who visited the sepulchre after Jesus’s death, is to experience “the weight which crushed their hearts.” We can tend to be more familiar with reliving the crucifixion and death of Good Friday, and the entombment and silence of Holy Saturday, than the joy of the Resurrection.

Every one of us is aware of the amount of sadness and tragedy around the world. Each of us has enough personal cares and concerns to feel like Easter Sunday will never come.

Yet during more than 26 years Pope John Paul II never failed to convey that sense of universal hope that was founded so explicitly on the Resurrection.

He invites us to live Easter by taking all our crosses and sufferings and allowing them to be gathered up and joined with Christ.

Not only is it our faith, it’s also a pretty nice tribute to John Paul II.