Sometimes it seems that God does not exist.
All around us we see persistent injustice, evil, indifference, cruelty. Political parties are polarized. Wars and persecutions rage. Some scientists tell us that the human race could become extinct if radical changes aren't made in the way we treat our environment and other species.
Sometimes it seems as if our own life is spiraling out of control.
Sometimes it seems as if there is no light to illumine our darkness.
But to believe that there is no hope, that things can never change, is a self-destructive and defeatist attitude. We can't live without hope. Life without hope would be meaningless and unbearable.
And Hope is a Person, Jesus Christ, Who has triumphed over sin and death and now truly lives. His Resurrection is not simply an interesting past event. Jesus the Almighty lives Now. Christ's Resurrection contains a vital power which is and always will be at work in the world, permeating everything - even and especially our lives. When all seems to be dead, signs of the Resurrection, signs of new life and love, suddenly appear to amaze and delight us, to overpower us with awe, dramatic and inevitable as the yearly coming of Spring.
When we are overcome with fear, desolation, cynicism, or despair, it's time to take the long view, to see the past and present with new eyes. The power of the Resurrection, power over sin, alienation, hatred, and death, power for good, love, and life, can be seen by us every day with the eyes of Faith.
God - Love - is so simple that we can miss His Presence. But the powerful hope of the Risen Christ triumphs every time a floundering marriage suddenly finds new life. Every time a new baby is born into a family that recently experienced a death. Every time an alienation between friends or family members is mended. Every time an autistic child is cheered by his team.
God - Love - is so simple that we may not think of Him. But the Resurrection's Power is at work every time complete strangers pull the wounded from a wrecked train or a house collapsed by an earthquake or a tornado. Every time strangers return a lost pet to its owner. Every time people of all races kneel and pray together. Every time people from all over the world send messages of hope to a sick child. Every time nations formerly our enemies can once more become our friends.
Every day, every time ordinary people make connections of love.
The powerful hope of the Risen Christ shines in us every time that we find the courage to say what we believe and live what we believe and tell others what we believe. Because the power that raised Christ from the dead is alive in us! God can raise our stricken spirits from the dead, can give us new hope and courage to mend our broken lives, can infuse us with enthusiasm to go out and try again.
God can raise our broken hearts from the dead when we want to collapse with cynicism because nothing seems to work, no one hears our message, no one wants to change. Yet God is the One Who brings fruit in spite of our weariness, brings goodness to life from every kind word and deed of ours. We may not see every result; but we trust in God that we are instruments of His Power.
Pope Francis says so beautifully "However dark things are, goodness always re-emerges and spreads. Each day in our world, beauty is born anew, it rises transformed through the storms of history. Values always tend to reappear under new guises, and human beings have arisen time after time from situations that seemed doomed. Such is the power of the resurrection, and all who evangelize are instruments of that power."
If we open our eyes in faith to see God's power at work in the world, if we surrender to God's Power alive within us, we can live with deep peace in our hearts and souls. Because God's Power to bring Life never fails. Love Itself never fails!