Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
James Martin, S.J.February 18, 2020
Photo by Roan Lavery on Unsplash

Subscribe to “The Examen” for free on Apple Podcasts
Subscribe to “The Examen” for free on Google Play
Join our Patreon Community

In North America, where I live, we are in the dead of winter. I know that that might not be the case for all listeners, but maybe for a good many of you. And it’s a hard time for many people. The cold, the snow, the sleet, the slush, the still enveloping darkness of the days, can make some people a bit depressed. You look at the bare ground, the leafless trees and the leaden skies and wonder whether spring or summer will ever come again. The cold and darkness seem so permanent. The persistence of darkness and cold is a good metaphor for times in life when it seems that nothing will change or even nothing can change. And when times seem hopeless, we can be tempted to despair. 

Easter, we know from the Gospels, happened around Passover, which means it happened historically in the Spring. And maybe one reason God arranged it this way was to enable us to see the connection between what happens on Easter Sunday and what can happen to us in our lives: that is, there is always hope, there is always the promise of new life, and suffering is never the last word. So maybe this week you might see that while some parts of your life are dark, they are not beyond God’s ability to bring light into them.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

An exclusive conversation with Father James Martin, Gerard O’Connell, Colleen Dulle and Sebastian Gomes about the future of synodality in the U.S. church
America StaffNovember 20, 2024
A Homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinNovember 20, 2024
Pope Francis’ doctrinal chief faced criticism for synod delegates over his office’s lack of diversity, clear communication and transparency when it comes to the question of women deacons.
Colleen DulleNovember 20, 2024
“Wicked” author Gregory Maguire talks about his religious upbringing, Elphaba’s search for a soul and why nuns, saints and witches might not be all that different.