When Christ died, the world was wrapped in darkness. There was an earthquake and all of nature seemed to mourn its Creator. As Joseph and Nicodemus carried that Sacred Body to the tomb and the two Marys stayed behind, imagine how for them blooming flowers or singing birds would have seemed a mockery, and totally out of place. Well, forty hours later, on Easter morning, the contrary is true. The good news of Christ's resurrection is good news for every man, woman and child on the face of the earth, and for all creation too. Doesn't a rainy Easter day seem odd? How much odder a tearful face. Thus, the angels' first words to Mary Magdalen, and Christ's also: "Woman, why are you weeping?"

As the Exsutet sung last night proclaims: "The power of this holy night dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy; it casts out hatred, brings peace, and humbles earthly pride." It has, in short, made all things new, and there should not be any more cause for sorrow. But we know that we will be sad again, even before the next Easter. Only in Heaven, the eternal Easter, will every tear be wiped away. Now we live in a mysterious mixture of joy and sorrow; the duel between death and life has been won by Life but the fight - mysteriously - continues in us, the Body of Christ. Our Head won redemption on the first Good Friday, yet, somehow, as St. Paul said (Col 1.24), we must make up in [our] flesh what is lacking in that complete, indeed, superabundant sacrifice for the sake of the body the Church.

So, we live a mystery: we have been raised with Christ (Col. 3.14) and yet we still suffer, bear crosses, are slaughtered for his sake all the day long (Rom 8). But the power of the resurrection is not empty; it gives our sufferings a new light: we do not grieve as others do, who have no hope. Indeed, as the power of the Resurrection grows in us, our sufferings seem ever smaller. In the saints we not only can see the glory of the resurrection reflected, but shining marvelously! St. Ignatius, for instance, confided to a friend that He could not imagine any event that could disturb his peace and joy. Likewise, St. Therese of Lisieux was so far from being daunted by pain that she could say "suffering has become my Heaven here below". She still suffered, but she was raised with Christ, and hidden with Him in the Heavenly places. For [Christ's] sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, that I may know Him and the power of his resurrection,. (Phil. 3:8-11)

This Easter season let us make some resolution, pay some price to take a step in our "walking in newness of life". Then we will know the only permanent joy in life, the joy that no one can take from us, the joy of knowing that Christ's victory is our victory. Temptation, addiction, sensuality, bad habits, apathy, superficiality, depression, fear, hatred - all of it, then, flies like darkness before the rising Sun that is Christ Jesus risen from the dead.