When I was a missionary in that immense Africa and working in the city it was not uncommon that the missionaries working in the interior would invite me to travel to their missions and give some small retreats in Portuguese. Most of the times I would fly in small planes of four, six or the maximum of eight passengers.
One of those events happened before Holy Week. I flew in a very small plane from the city of Quelimane to a village called Milange, next door to Malawi.
The weather was beautiful. I was seated on the front seat, side by side with the pilot. I could see every switch he touched and could ask any questions. We were flying in between mountains. We could enjoy the view of the wild animals, the tea and palm tree plantations that were making those valleys so green and so breathtaking. We could even see people working in their fields.
This was my trip from the city to the village close to Malawi. I did my job and one week later I had to return.
The weather was gloomy, the rain was abundant, and the clouds were dark and frightening. This time I was seated in one of the back seats, far away from the pilot. When the airplane flew through those dark clouds it would dance up and down like a dry leaf on a windy day. Nobody screamed, nobody talked to anyone else. All of us were glued to our seats, grabbing the arms as if they were our only salvation. I knew that we were flying in between mountains and I was «sure» that the pilot could not see them. My thought was «if we fall among these mountains none of us will have a funeral». Nobody will be able to find us and the wild animals will take care of our bodies. It was a really terrifying return flight.
But I had a spiritual experience that has been part of me for the rest of my life. When I saw those dark clouds I always thought: «I am sure that beyond that cloud there will be sun. But after that dark cloud there was no sun. After each dark cloud there was another cloud. Then I would think again: «after that dark cloud there will be sun». But there was no sun. And from a dark cloud to the next dark cloud I always kept my hope alive, looking through the window of the pilot. And we never were able to catch a bit of sun. But at the end of the trip something much better was waiting for us. That thing was a safe landing.
Today is Easter Sunday. Good Friday was not a pleasant day for Jesus. Actually it was a very dark cloud after so many dark clouds that He had to go through. But at the end, Jesus had a safe landing. It was Easter Sunday. He left the tomb. Jesus resurrected. Jesus is alive again.
Albert L. Roper was a prominent Virginia attorney. He once began a thorough legal investigation into the evidence of the Resurrection of Christ, asking himself the question: «Can any intelligent person accept the Resurrection story?» After examining the evidence at length, he came away asking a different question: «Can any intelligent person deny the weight of this evidence?».
Good Friday and Easter Sunday tell me, and all of us, that it doesn’t matter how many dark clouds we have to go through, we can be sure that walking with Jesus we will have a safe landing.
Today on this Easter Sunday we can decide to get closer to Him and walk closer to Him. He is going to be our pilot, and I am sure we will have a safe landing.
Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade
Easter Sunday, 2021-04-04