Quotes from a much better mind than the one who types away here:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer--'After Ten Years'--from Letters and Papers from Prison:
The great masquerade of evil has played havoc with all our ethical concepts. For evil to appear disguised as light, charity, historical necessity, or social justice is quite bewildering to anyone brought up on our traditional ethical concepts, while for the Christian who bases his life on the Bible, it merely confirms the fundamental wickedness of evil.
He details the futility of standing up to evil on one's own. By the time he penned these words in December of 1942, he had seen much, and worse was yet to come.
Still, he affirms:
I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil. For that purpose he needs men who make the best use of everything. A faith such as this should allay all our fears for the future.
OS never ceases to scratch his grey head in wonder at how Providence works its will.
'Good Friday': The day the politicians, clergy, lawyers and bankers all got together and arranged the public murder of the greatest man who ever walked the earth, the man who threatened to pull their world apart just by showing up and being himself.
All done legally, cleanly, and at arm's length of course. By day's end, the Nazarene rabbi was dead and gone, his posse scattered and awaiting the inevitable mopping-up operation, and the soldier in charge of the execution detail wondering aloud if perhaps a tragic mistake had been made. Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate all slept well, a good day's work done, if a bit unpleasant at points. Pilate's wife probably less so, remembering her premonition that had been ignored by her husband. She rightly sensed that history itself would cave in upon them all as a result of this day, with no place to hide in all of eternity.
For the rabbi's family and friends, a day of horrific tragedy, all hopes dashed, all plans in ruins, all faith shattered, with a close friend's betrayal followed by suicide thrown in for good measure. Their entire world had been turned upside down, with evil masquerading as light, charity, historical necessity, social justice. Moreover, they had no place to hide where Rome could not find them.
No one could have suspected what was about to follow.
That is our basis and definition of Hope. Not based on our own desires or wishes, fears and dreams, or even our secular take upon the events of the day, but upon what we know occurred in time and space. Good Friday is not the end of the story. Not then, and not now.
These are dark days, to be certain. But not hopeless days.
So, while we're here, let's make the best use of everything.
From Christ's final discourse in the Gospel of John:
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.
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