Not the End of the Story
“At dusk weeping comes for the night; but at dawn there is rejoicing” (Psalm 30:6).
We started our Lenten journey with Ash Wednesday and the reminder that “we are dust, and to dust we shall return.”
I remember thinking, amidst a severe winter in the Mid-Atlantic, that this reminder that our bodies will eventually return to dust one day was a fitting way to begin Lent. It felt appropriate, but also gloomy and sad. Until I remembered that’s only half the story.
When God formed man from the dust of the ground, He also “blew into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). So while it is true that our mortal bodies will eventually die, we are also comforted by knowing that we also have a soul that will live on. This is the truth that Lent orients us toward, in preparation for the triumph of Easter.
At the Foot of the Cross
This Lent, we have walked with Jesus to Calvary, encountering our own trials and sufferings, and have arrived, for better or for worse, at the foot of the Cross on Good Friday.
Our trials may not look like Calvary, but they are real: a professional disappointment, caregiving fatigue, personal anxieties, or a strained relationship. Whatever our sorrows, it may be tempting to despair or get stuck in discouragement. But, although Good Friday is real, necessary, and holy, it is always followed by Easter Sunday.
When we remember that truth, we are then able to fully embody what St. Paul described in his second letter to the Corinthians: “We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
As St. Pope John Paul II once said, “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!” We rejoice because we know that Good Friday is not the end of the story. It is always followed by the Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord, who by His Passion, opened the gates of Heaven for us so that we may follow Him home. When we hold on to this hope, we have a deeper reason for joy, even amidst our sufferings in this world.
As we commemorate Good Friday, let us honor and remember Our Lord’s Passion, but always in light of His Resurrection. Reflecting on the “echoes” of the Resurrection throughout Sacred Scripture can help us enter into the Paschal Mystery more deeply.
Echoes of the Resurrection
Throughout Sacred Scripture, the rhythm of salvation history moves from darkness into light.
In Genesis, the days of creation begin in the evening. “Evening came, and morning followed — the first day” (Genesis 1:5).
Night first. Then morning.
Death first. Then life.
Jesus Himself speaks this way: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24). The seed disappears beneath the soil before it ever breaks into green.
Not only is He anticipating His own death, He is also telling us that our hardships are necessary for us to be able to bear much fruit. Our suffering, then, is never meaningless or in vain, but always for a salvific and greater purpose.
The pattern Jesus reveals between Good Friday and Easter Sunday shows that, in many ways, our sufferings must come first before we can experience true joy.
An Ending of Victory and Life
With this in mind, let’s ask ourselves how well we bore our crosses and trials this Lent. Whether we carried them well or not, we bring our trials, our crosses, our disappointments, and our hidden wounds to the foot of the Cross. We do not bring them alone. We lay them beside His and ask Him to transform them. As an Easter people, we know that our story does not end with death, but with victory and with life.
Yvonne Siu Turner is the owner of a strategic messaging and copywriting studio that helps purpose-oriented businesses discover the truth about their brands and tell their stories well. She has written for White House initiatives, Fortune 500 companies, solopreneurs, and everyone in between. She is a contributing writer to Catholic Women in Business and Chevy Chase Lifestyle Magazine. As a Master Catechist, she also volunteers with her parish’s OCIA program. She lives in Alexandria, VA, with her husband and son. Learn more at www.yvonneturnercopy.com.