Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 14, Number 21, DeMotte, Jasper County, 7 April 1944 — THERE IS CONTRAST [ARTICLE]

THERE IS CONTRAST

between the mater-

ialistic philosophy of today’s war-torn, disordered world of pessimism and sorrow and the message of Easter with its triumph and joy. For those of us who have faith in the Risen Christ, however, in this contrast there is hope; for we do have hopes that someday the spirit of the Easter message will be infused into this materialistic world. This is the optimisim of Easter. We who hinge our lives on Christ’s supreme redemptive act do not share the pessimism and despair of the world. We believe in things supernatural. We believe in the ultimate triumph of spirit over matter, of resurrection over death, of morality and religion over immorality and indifference, of Christ over the cross. This is the optimism of Easter—full of hopes and joys, yet not without crosses and crises. On this glorious feast we are enjoined to seek those things that are above and alone lasting. And the world is enjoined to rise above the material, to shine forth in spirituality. We are taught that if the spirit of the Risen Christ penetrates the things of the world — politics, Caesar, education, life—there can be lasting peace. This is the optimism of Easter. The world is now passing through another Good Friday. It is suffering another scouraging. It is dying another death. Our duty is to secure for it another Easter. To do this we must teach the world that without a Risen Christ, there can be no Easter. Without Easter there is no optimism, only Good Friday.