From Despair to the Resurrection.

 Holy Saturday and everything has gone wrong.   Jesus followers are in hiding and a knock on the door causes panic.   They had believed in Jesus, they had worked miracles in his name, they had believed they were at the start of something that would change Israel and the world, but it had all ended yesterday, as the supposed Messiah died on a Cross, mocked and hated by his persecutors.   Now they were after them, but they did not want to die, so they hid like rats in a sewer.

I suppose we could call this Saturday the Day of Despair, and as we remember the many wonderful things in our own lives which disappeared or perhaps we did not appreciate at the time.  Perhaps we met a wonderful person who was going to change us, a partner for life, then he or she just laughed at us and walked away.  Perhaps we never knew the love of a Father, but maybe just hoped that one would come along.    Perhaps through someone else, we suddenly lost our joy and became like the followers of Jesus on that Saturday.    We wallowed in our misery and built a castle full of it in our minds.  We just hid ourselves, for what was the point.   Nobody really cared, well not the ones we approved of, we would only find happiness again if..........

Like a child we wait for a fairy godmother to appear.   

The sad thing for the apostles and disciples was their lack of faith.    Jesus had prepared them for his death.    Jesus had told them he would rise.   But they had failed to understand.    They just wallowed in their misery.   They were like many young people today, they grow up with hope and aspirations and then it all turns out wrong.   So they find some substitute for happiness in drugs and perhaps sex without love.    "Do not believe in God", some clever people tell them, "Enjoy your drugs and sex without love, for that is all life is about".    In New York they are now decriminalising Cannabis, which will be a great help in destroying the lives of young people.   Perhaps the reason is that there are so many youngsters on the drug that it is impossible to enforce the law.   I just found out recently that in that City for one child born there is one aborted.    It is a staggering figure, and thank God is not repeated elsewhere.   But yes, under drugs, it is easy to have sex with a woman.

I could go on and quote more horrors such as the suicide rate among teenagers, the rise in knife crimes, the growing rape crisis in our schools, but this is just a blog.  But I will dare to speak the unspeakable, I will speak for God.    As the disciples later found Jesus did rise from he dead.   And Jesus is the answer to all your problems   For in finding Jesus you will find his love, which will fill you more than anything the world can offer you.   You will not love others just because it is a nice thing to do, but because you are filled with that love which surpasses understanding, the love of God.   You will see every person as a child of God, and although you may disagree with their life style you will not judge but keep loving them.    If you visit a Church you will in most Catholic Churches find Jesus Himself in the Blessed Sacrament, present in flesh under the appearance of bread.   There is no need for many prayers, just say "Jesus, teach me to love you".   Then you will find happiness.   You will move from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection.    May God Bless you.