Personal Experiences of the Paschal Mystery

The annual commemoration of the Paschal or Easter Mystery in the Church is a time to consider our own experiences of the Paschal Mystery.

Three Days with the Apostles

We can look back at Jesus’ followers and see their progression from the pain and sorrow of Good Friday to the joy of Easter.

Good Friday

In the Bible, the apostles make significant personal journeys in three days. Matthew’s Gospel suggests that when the people came to arrest Jesus, his followers fled (Matthew 26:56). They must have been traumatized when they realized that the religious leaders wanted to execute Jesus.

Their fellow Jews subsequently called for the release of Barabbas rather than Jesus! The religious leaders lied to the crowds and revved them up. People are vulnerable to deception when respected religious people do or say something false.

Whether the disciples witnessed Jesus’ walk to Golgotha, they knew what crucifixion was like. Jesus walked to Golgotha bearing the cross, having already been beaten and wearing a crown of thorns. The pain was excruciating. Crucifixion was a horrifying way to die; the person experienced additional pain when trying to breathe and finally weakened until death.

In Mark’s account, the chief priests and scribes come to Golgotha to mock Jesus which I had not noticed before (Mark 15:31-32). For some reason, I imagined that they would return to their regular lives. I find it comforting that there were women there with Jesus (Mark 15:40-41). Luke’s Gospel shares the moving story of Jesus’ conversation with the two crucified criminals. Jesus promised the one, who acknowledged that the two were justly condemned, a place in Paradise.

Holy Saturday

If I had been one of Jesus’ followers, I would have found Jesus’ horrible death traumatizing. I would also be scared by the possibility that the religious leaders might come after me and his other followers.

The situation changed so quicklly. One day, the disciples were spending time with Jesus and traveling with him as he taught and healed people. The next, he was arrested and crucified. Who could make sense of this?

Jesus’ death was not part of the image of Messiah they had. That Messiah would triumph over his enemies, not be killed by them. They locked themselves up and tried to process what happened.

Easter

Jesus was put in the tomb. He had died. Some women, in the morning had encountered Jesus! This must have confused the disciples even more even though they were overjoyed. Jesus was crucified and now he had risen from the dead! When the disciples encountered Jesus themselves, they believed, but most likely did not fully understand what had happened.

Our Own Experiences of the Paschal Mystery

Ultimately, we wait in hope for Ressurection after our deaths. Yet in our daily lives, we experience suffering followed by new life that resemble the Paschal Mystery.

Good Friday

We may suffer the death of someone we love, the breakup of a significant relationship, the loss of a job, news that we have cancer, or a serious injury.

Only people who have undergone torture or perhaps spent time in a burn unit might understand the type of physical and psychological pain that Jesus endured.

We all know pain whether it be psychological or physical. These experiences can be like Good Friday was for Jesus and his followers. We may be unprepared for our lives to change so quickly. Luckily, most people do not have to go through these experiences in the public way that Jesus did.

Holy Saturday

Healing does not occur in a day. Holy Saturday resembles the time when the most painful period of the loss or suffereing is over; it is replaced by numbness, confusion, or simply a question of why?

Depending on the scope of the loss or suffering, this in-between period can last a month, a year, or many years. This time period may have up and down times.

Easter Sunday

With God’s help, a personal Good Friday and a Holy Saturday can lead to new life: Resurrection.

Whether one’s fortunes take a turn or a person comes to terms with a loss of some sort, there is new life. Perhaps the person finds that they can feel happy once again. Maybe they come to terms with what occurred. He or she may have learned from what happened. The experience of new life are be greater than the shadows experienced previously.

The Resurrection is a promise of eternal life. The second creation story in Genesis tells us that suffering and death are the results of Adam and Eve’s sin, not what God had initially planned for them.

We live in hope of the resurrection after death, but we should also realize that God does not desire that we be victims of evil or suffering. Sharing one’s suffering with God can lead to unexpected new life!

I thank Sister Jane O’Brien for explaining how we experience the Paschal Mystery in our own lives many years ago.