The Easter Vigil begins with the church in darkness. The people are outside, able to see only by the light of the full moon. They remember the utter hopelessness of this night 2,000 years ago: Our leader is dead, laid in a tomb.
But soon, the night is broken by fire. People light one another's candles, and the warmth spreads across the sanctuary. Flowers are brought in, and the church becomes a much brighter place. Millennia ago, we believe, the stone was rolled away from Christ's tomb.
Everyone, Christian or not, can see the meaning of these rituals -- they are a celebration of humankind's craziest hopes, our most ambitious dreams. We believe that light can come from darkness, joy from sorrow, laughter from tears and most of all, life can come from death.
Everyone, Christian or not, can see that our world is crying out for this kind of Easter today. We are living, without doubt, in a time of darkness, hopelessness and death. Humanity is worried and anxious; our future is uncertain, and the earth seems a very dangerous place. We yearn for light and happiness.
The United States, the world's only superpower, has alienated many of its closest friends by attacking Iraq.
Terrorists threaten the security of nearly every person on the planet.
North Korea and Iran pursue nuclear weapons.
Children around the world go hungry every night, and 11.7 million in our own country live below the poverty line, according to the Children's Defense Fund.
Our lifestyle continues to threaten our environment.
People across the earth are raised to believe that they are better than their neighbors because of religion or skin color.
The problems are vast; they seem beyond our power to change. War and bigotry, hunger and terror, destruction of water and air -- it's no wonder we feel hopeless. We are as heartbroken as the men and women who stood at the foot of a wooden cross and watched the man who stood for all their dreams die in agony.
Christians believe that only three days later, without explanation, God turned Jesus' death into life and made his followers dance with joy. And although most of humanity doesn't share that belief, everyone can rejoice in the idea it represents.
We can't cling to a foolish belief that our problems will solve themselves. No one expects the world to be perfect when we wake up tomorrow. God, they say, helps those who help themselves.
But we can cherish the simple, boundless hope embodied in last weekend's ceremonies. Hope is the only thing without which we cannot change the world, and Easter brings it back to our thoughts. Hope can encourage and embolden us to go out and force light into the darkness of our world. It can remind us that anything is possible, and if we believe that, we can start setting down our guns and drying the world's tears.
Our world is ready for the rebirth and renewal of spring; our world is ready for the hope of Easter. None of our problems are simple, and none will end overnight. But last weekend, we were all reminded of the beautiful idea that we can hope for life, even when we see death all around us.
Write to Stephen at
stevehj@mac.com
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