Culture

This Easter season, let us reflect on the humanity of Christ and challenge ourselves to respond to Pope Francis' final lesson in his Easter address, "May the principle of humanity never fail to be the hallmark of our daily actions."

Michael
Reardon

''In the Lord's Paschal Mystery, death and life contended in a stupendous struggle, but the Lord now lives forever (cf. Easter Sequence). He fills us with the certainty that we, too, are called to share in the life that knows no end, when the clash of arms and the rumble of death will be heard no more. Let us entrust ourselves to him, for he alone can make all things new (cf. Rev. 21:5)!"
These words from Pope Francis' Easter address are even more powerful, knowing that less than 24 hours later, he would be "called to share in the life that knows no end."
Pope Francis does not speak as a fatalist where death is inevitable, but rather as a believer with hope in the promise of life eternal. Despite his own impending death, Pope Francis challenges us to remember that "we were not made for death but for life." What a powerful thought and what an opportunity for reflection and, hopefully, action.
We are a people of Easter, a people of hope, a people of the Resurrection. Yes, we will all die, but what will we do as we live? Pope Francis is challenging us to remember that "Easter is the celebration of life!"

His final Easter address highlights the serious state of conflict in our world, but he does not wring his hands and lament. No, instead, he challenges us to "hope anew and revive our trust in others." He exhorts us that "there can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others."
We must embrace our neighbors, strangers and refugees as brothers and sisters and not as objects to which we have no connection. Humans, regardless of their beliefs, skin color, ethnic background, or place of birth, are all children of God. We must fight against the "contempt (that) is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants!" These were not the words of a dying man who gave up hope, but a man who believed in the Resurrection and believed in the power of love and the goodness of people. A man who knew that one person can make a difference!
Christ being abandoned, beaten, humiliated, and painfully killed is fact. A real man endured emotional and physical pain for us. It is hard to imagine what he felt, but it is important that we do. Each day, others around us face pain and suffering in big ways and small ways. Do we see them as different from us, or do we see them as a fellow pilgrim on the journey of life? Do we meet them with love and hope or with fear and resentment? Do we see the suffering of Christ in them?
This Easter season, let us reflect on the humanity of Christ and challenge ourselves to respond to Pope Francis' final lesson in his Easter address, "May the principle of humanity never fail to be the hallmark of our daily actions. In the face of the cruelty of conflicts that involve defenseless civilians and attack schools, hospitals and humanitarian workers, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that it is not targets that are struck, but persons, each possessed of a soul and human dignity." This admonition to remember that people are involved in every situation is true in all interactions, not just the dramatic examples Pope Francis laid out. The person who upsets us in traffic, the frustrating colleague, the clerk who never gets the order right, these are all people making their way through the world just like us. They are our brothers and sisters, and we must see each other in our humanity.
May Pope Francis' final message be a call to action to live in the hope and joy of the Resurrection and to share that with others.
Happy Easter.

- Michael B. Reardon is executive director of the Catholic Schools Foundation, www.CSFBoston.org.

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