The Cross and the Resurrection

"For the sake of the joy that lay before Him He endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken His seat at the right of the throne of God." -- Heb. 12:2 (NAB)

I just learned today that the oft-quoted words of Cardinal Francis George of Chicago about "dying in his bed" are missing an important sentence. Cardinal George explained in his Oct. 21, 2012 column for the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago that his words in response to a question were apparently recorded on a smartphone and then "went viral." Although they were accurate, as far as they went, the complete quote reads as follows:

"I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history."

I think that second sentence is so vitally important, especially given the situation that our society is facing today. It reminds us that, no matter how dark things may get--and I, like many others, think it's going to get pretty dark--the story does not end on Good Friday! We need to keep the Resurrection firmly in mind when considering what lies ahead. Then, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can hope to be able to be like Jesus, Who "for the sake of the joy that lay before Him ... endured the cross, despising its shame..."