After 3:00 PM

“OUR TEARS should not flow after three in the afternoon.” This was what a boy scout suggested to all his young companions who, in a church filled to capacity, had come to pay their last respects to, and weep for, their Scout Leader whose life had been tragically cut short by a brain tumour.

David, the Scout Leader’s name, was well-known both for his willingness to serve and his wisdom. The scouts in his care, during that difficult period we call adolescence, looked upon him at times as a father, at times as an elder brother.

They were all very fond of him and, as they stood in the crowded church, their grief was intense and almost palpable. But, precisely because of those words on which he had based his life, tears were not to flow after 3:00 pm.

This ability to find hope, to see a ray of sunlight even in the darkest moments comes from the certainty that Christ is risen. The experience of a base betrayal, of being forsaken and abandoned even by his disciples, of a shameful crucifixion and death, all lead to a bright Easter morning, and to the immense joy of Mary Magdalene who wept for the loss of her Lord and who could not believe her eyes when she saw him risen from the dead.



The road travelled by Jesus is the road that we too must follow. It is not all downhill; as a matter of fact it is quite the opposite. And there is no limousine to carry us. Life is a narrow path, paved with many difficulties which will often cause our feet to bleed and our strength to wane. Nevertheless, we must not despair, because Jesus is accompanying us along every step. In a way, he is our ‘personal trainer,’ cheering us up and giving us the strength to go on.

It’s true, at times, we become anxious because human beings are set against each other. Wars threaten our lives. Death takes millions of people away each year through sickness, hunger and violence. However, we must never abandon hope, one of the major characteristics of a true Christian, the virtue which encourages our actions. Even if it isn’t immediately visible, hope is there.

Christian hope is Easter hope. It is different from the hope we normally encounter in the world today. It is not based on our circumstances and prospects; it comes through Jesus’ resurrection, and it is therefore independent of those things. It is neither a strategy to fool ourselves or an appeal to fatalism. It means believing, having faith in a better future, and being willing to work to achieve it.



Christians do not resign themselves to injustice; they fight it and extend their solidarity and understanding to its victims. Christians oppose indifference by demonstrating, through their own actions, how rich life can be when one draws inspiration from the values that Jesus taught us.

We learn that Easter hope is not just an illusion when we look at the lives of people like David, the Scout Leader, or of thousands of other people like him.



Those boys and girls who wept for his untimely death knew how rich a life he had led, and many of them could already feel growing within themselves the seeds of faith, generosity, courage, kindness and joy which David had sown within them through his words and his example. Many of those seeds will germinate and bear fruit, and there will be more Christians with the courage not to give up, and with the ability to show others what it really means to have faith in the resurrection.

I wish you all, dear readers, a happy Easter and, at the same time, I pray to Saint Anthony that he may always assist you, your family and friends along the often difficult road of life.