June 12, 2018
The Easter Season is the most joyous of all holy seasons. One understands this truth easily when one contemplates the Passion and Death of Our Lord and His glorious Resurrection. This joy should supersede all other natural or worldly joys in this life. This joy has its cause in the victory of Christ over sin and death.
All Catholics ought to share in this joy for they are the recipients of Our Lord’s love for us through His Passion and Resurrection. The joy of this season is very much connected to the virtue of hope. Catholics are joyous in this holy season because they have been given hope through the Resurrection.
People generally don’t speak of hope unless they are in a situation when there is little or no hope. They may have a desire to be hopeful but are unable to know how to accomplish this. Simply put, when one has no supernatural faith there is no hope. Without hope there can be no true joy.
Men have lived in a number of different circumstances. Some have been pleasant with times of peace, others have varied from civil uprisings to declared and horrendous wars. There have been times when all seems to have been lost, for nations have been destroyed, kingdoms have disappeared and families have been murdered. Catholic churches have been sacked and burned to the ground; monasteries have been raided and monks murdered; convents of women religious have been raped and murdered; Catholics, both lay and religious have suffered persecutions and been put to death in some of the most inhumane ways devised by Hell and carried out by Satan’s human agents.
Satan is the cause of all chaos and division in this world. Yes, man does have a free will, but the aforementioned examples of societal upheaval are almost always situations where men are driven to do such evil deeds over a period of time that one understands them to be inspired and pursued by devils. These agents of Hell desire the damnation of all souls and will do anything to accomplish it.
Another area of concern is that of the personal lives of people. Too often these troubles are the result of poor decisions or bad judgments. It is truly astounding that so many make some of the worst decisions all the while thinking they are making good and wise choices.
It is so easy to have a life of misery with one bad judgment. There is really “nothing new under the sun” today, but so many make wrong decisions with little or no thought of the serious, long-term consequences of their souls that it is utterly unthinkable in the mind of the person who soberly considers his salvation. This country is currently experiencing extreme behavior, i.e., shootings, rioting and civil unrest in ways that have not been seen previously. Time will tell how these actions will affect the nation.
Through all of this misery many have lost hope and given up. Some have despaired and become mentally unstable while others have taken their life. These are examples that are the goals of devils, for if a man gives up all hope he will likely lose his soul.
When Our Lord rose from the dead two-thousand years ago He changed the course of history. This miracle gave men hope when there was none previously. It enabled men to see their way through any and all troubles in life, knowing the only true guide for them was Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church.
The significance of the Pascal Candle should not be overlooked. This candle, blessed on Holy Saturday and placed in the sanctuary each year until Ascension Thursday symbolizes Christ, the Light of the World, Who was present among us from His Resurrection to His Ascension.
This Light pierces the darkness of this world, i.e., all of the division and chaos, wars, fighting, and evil intentions of men. The Light of Christ provides hopes to men. This hope allows men to accept their cross and work out their salvation, knowing that the graces needed for this eternal goal are only possible if one places his trust and, therefore, hope in Christ and the message of the Resurrection.
One must understand the connection between the virtues of faith and hope. Those who practice the virtue of hope will have a supernatural faith in some degree. In other words, faith is the foundation and reason for hope. In what does one have hope if he has no belief? Herein lies the importance of knowing the Catholic Faith. The greater knowledge of the Faith usually brings with it a more significant hope in Christ, the true Light of all men.
The present situation in today’s society illustrates this connection with faith and hope. There are an increasing number of people who do not believe in the True Faith. The Great Apostasy continues to this day. When there are fewer people who believe, there will be fewer who have hope. When one does not have hope, spiritual chaos ensues. Over a period of time the personal loss of faith has its effect in society. Law and order are undermined. The general peace is greatly disturbed. Morality is forgotten and denied. Barbarism begins to take over society.
The destruction of the Faith by the Modernists has not only undermined Holy Mother Church but has for some time destroyed the moral underpinnings of society. One witnesses the effects today with legalized divorce, abortion, pornography and homosexuality, transgenderism and other errors.
Through all of this one must remain filled with a supernatural hope in Christ, the Light of the World. A part of this is to maintain a positive spiritual attitude in the midst of this present day darkness and chaos. Place your hope in Christ and the Light which comes from Him, not men and his errors.
Fr. Joseph Noonan, OFM