In the late 1950s, when Bishop Iuliu Hossu was imprisoned in Calderushan – survived the Union of Alba Iulia in 1918 – he is visited by a former priest who has since become a security agent. Having come to tempt him and discourage him (documentation preserved in the archives of the CNSAS), the messenger reminds the future cardinal that the result of the disintegration of the Church is irreversible, that no one will restore things and that since there are no differences. between two Churches, it is appropriate for the priest to be in the middle of the flock. Iuliu Hossu does not lose his temper. He reminds the visitor that Jesus, in turn, was killed and buried without any hope, but that on the third day He rose beyond doubt. The stone placed on the grave of the Church really could not be removed from a human point of view, but God had to make it so that at some point the stone could be removed. After talking with such visitors, “broken” Securitate, who periodically appeared, the bishop ended the meeting, convinced that the belief in the Resurrection cannot be a subject of bargaining or compromises.

After the death of Jesus, the excitement and sadness of the apostles, hidden by fear of the Jews, do not illuminate the feeling of remorse, but rather regret that everything did not happen as they expected. In the Garden of Olives, after Jesus was caught among them, they fled in terror. Under the rule of fear, they did not even realize what was happening! How could Jesus come from the pinnacle of popularity to the center of public scorn? Why did He stay and allow Himself to be taken, instead of running away and saving His life as they did. “No one takes my life, I give it!” (John 10:18), he had told them before, but the apostles did not understand his words.

Patiently dealing with the inconsistency of his peers, C.S. Lewis wrote: “Fear is terrible, but there is no reason to be ashamed of it. Our Lord was terribly frightened in Gethsemane” (Letters to a Lady in America, Humanitas, 2023, p. 52). The only souls around Jesus who found the strength to go out in public on Sunday morning after the Crucifixion are a few women. As the sun rises, they hurry to the tomb, eager to find someone who will roll away the stone from the entrance. He finds the young man already open – angel! -, who directly addresses them: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” The courage of these women, in whom the Church found inspiration to recognize their status as “one-apostles”, is an amazing response to the shipwreck of the courage of the apostles!

I was recently given a short commentary on a text on faith to read. It turned out that the article could be “useful only to the already convinced”, and still “believers need exaggerations or even lies. Without them, it is difficult for them, if not impossible.” Such a (hostile) feeling can be found more and more today. I was surprised, however, that a reader referred to a “feel good/great” motivation in the case of believers, and I must admit that I was not a little amused. In this way, faith acquires meaning even for those who are disgusted by it! Only in order to continue to feel relieved by its premises, the reality of faith constantly seems to them to be patently outrageous and unconvincing. In other words, to need evil…it is necessary to remain comfortable between the boundaries of prejudice!

What does it really mean to believe in the Resurrection? Get guaranteed to feel “great”? Should persuasion be a rudimentary matter of seduction and display of charm? That we would simply be defeated and no longer able to say no to God’s message? This year, that is why I promised myself to think about those from the neighboring country, trying to imagine a spiritual dialogue with them. Will the joy of the Resurrection be shared by those left homeless, torn to pieces by the Tyrant’s diabolical lust, with relatives fighting in the trenches and lives exposed under bombardment? What can I say, for example, about the resurrected Jesus to these trampled souls, who are guaranteed only the right to slaughter and slavery? At the same time, would it be possible to “explain” Easter to the most fervent souls who dare to promise Heaven to those who, on their orders, make themselves instruments of hatred and aggression?

After the Resurrection, when Jesus allows himself to be recognized by his loved ones, almost every time a gesture is needed on his part. Either he speaks a word from the Holy Scriptures in their presence, awakening in them inner impulses, or performs an unusual fact that reminds them “how” and “whence” they were called to the mission. Or invites you to touch the traces of his wounds – because the passion was real! – and when he meets Mary Magdalene in the garden, it is enough for him to call her by name. What do all these things mean? That the imprint of faith is a feat that becomes effective when we recognize that outside of tradition and historical Christian identity, a connection with the Church is absolutely necessary, only an experience of direct connection, PERSONALwith Christ allows us to truly open ourselves to God.

“I have often seen men rude from excess of politeness, and obstinate from excess of politeness,” said Montaigne (Essays, Humanitas, 2020, I, 57). For my generation, the texts of the classics served to suggest to a young person at the stage of formation the importance of a moral sense in life. In turn, heroic stories were to be read to stimulate a taste for discernment of life, for courage, for devotion and sacrifice. Life is not created to spend it on triumphs and applause, the downfall of history – beyond the inconsistency of the human race – it offers, in fact, a measure of goodness, bearing within itself the reality of redemption. My grandmother, a wise woman who survived the trials of the persecution of the Church, explained to me that I can very easily meet Jesus, teaching me to ask him for forgiveness for the cross I put on his shoulders. Easter soon had nothing left to prove. The joy that Jesus died to redeem the world from the hands of death could not be separated from reconciliation with one’s neighbor and could not lose its value! If the heart would allow – as I was taught – to recognize their poverty and need for reconciliation. Read the whole article and comment on Contributors.ro