Perspective is everything

By Fr Stephan Alexander

General Manager, CCSJ and AMMR

“Perspective is everything!” It has the power to reshape our understanding, to breathe new meaning into suffering, and to uncover blessings hidden in the shadows of hardship.

So often, the very moments that seemed unbearable at the time—seasons of loss, failure, and betrayal—later reveal themselves as moments of grace, healing, and justice. What felt like devastation can, in God’s providence, become the doorway to something greater.

Nowhere is this more profoundly seen than in the mystery of Holy Week, where the darkest hour of human history becomes the dawn of our redemption.

Holy Week immerses us in the deepest darkness of human experience: betrayal, injustice, suffering, and death. At first glance, it appears to be a tragic end to a promising life.

Jesus, the one who healed the sick, welcomed the outcast, and preached love and mercy, is betrayed by a friend, unjustly condemned by the authorities, cruelly tortured, and put to death on a cross like a common criminal. From any human perspective, this is the epitome of failure and injustice.

Consider the betrayal of Jesus. Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, hands over the Lord with a kiss—a sign of affection corrupted into an instrument of treachery. It is difficult to comprehend such duplicity.

Yet, this moment also reveals something vital: God’s saving plan is not thwarted by human sin. Even betrayal, as vile as it is, does not have the final word. God, in His infinite wisdom, permits it to unfold, not to glorify the sin, but to overcome it through love and mercy. What appears as the ultimate disloyalty becomes, in divine perspective, part of the path to redemption.

The trial and condemnation of Jesus further highlight the depth of injustice he faced. An innocent man stands before the powerful, and false accusations are upheld over truth. Political expediency and fear of public opinion overshadow any semblance of fairness.

Jesus is mocked, scourged, and condemned not because He is guilty but because He is inconvenient. To His disciples and the watching crowd, justice has failed. But again, perspective is everything.

The cross, at first glance, is a sign of defeat. Yet, from the vantage point of Easter, it becomes the greatest sign of love and victory. What looked like failure becomes triumph.

What seemed to be injustice becomes the moment when divine justice is revealed. Not the justice of retribution, but the justice of restoration—where mercy, not vengeance, reigns.

The Resurrection does not undo the suffering; it transforms it. The wounds remain in the Risen Christ, but now they shine with glory.

This transformation is crucial for our understanding of justice today. In a world where injustice often seems to dominate, the Easter perspective reminds us that God’s justice is not always immediate, but it is always certain.

We often cry out like the psalmist, “How long, O Lord?” when faced with oppression, corruption, and violence. The passion of Christ assures us that God does not ignore our suffering. He enters into it. The Resurrection assures us that suffering is not the end.

From the cross, Jesus prays for those who crucify Him. He speaks words of forgiveness, entrusts His spirit to the Father, and surrenders all with love. This is not weakness. It is the strength of divine justice at work—justice that restores dignity, reclaims lost hope, and raises the lowly. Easter is not the reversal of the Cross; it is its fulfilment.

For Christians, then, the message is clear: remain faithful, even in the face of injustice. Do not despair when evil seems to win the day. As disciples, we are called to walk the path of the Cross, trusting that resurrection follows.

When we labour for social justice—challenging systems of inequality, advocating for the poor, and upholding human dignity —we are participating in this very mystery. We may face betrayal, condemnation, and opposition, but we do so with Easter hope.

The Resurrection of Jesus is God’s definitive response to injustice. It is the victory of light over darkness, love over hatred, and life over death. It changes our perspective on everything.

So let us look again, with the eyes of faith. Let us revisit our own painful memories, our moments of betrayal and loss, not to reopen old wounds, but to seek new meaning. If the tragedy of Calvary can become the triumph of Easter, then nothing in our lives is beyond God’s power to redeem.

Indeed, perspective is everything. And Easter gives us the clearest, most hopeful perspective of all.

Christ is risen.

Justice lives.

Mercy reigns.

Hope endures.

Let us rejoice and be glad.

Have a happy and blessed Easter!

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