I haven’t heard any good Polish jokes lately, have you? Actually, it may be a bit oxymoronic to say there is such a thing as a good Polish joke. If you know anything at all about Poland and its history, you are aware to be a Pole is no joke. Someone always seems to be dominating their native land. And their native land’s boundaries have been pretty fluid over time. Are you aware that some of what is now Ukraine was once Poland?
A pretty tough Pole, Cardinal Karol Jozef Wojtyla was known during communist times as a critic of the regime in Poland. He became Pope John Paul II. While there may be things for which to criticize him, he still commands much respect for the way he navigated his role as Cardinal and political critic. Another heroic Pole, Lech Walesa, a laborer and labor leader led a movement that transformed an entire nation.
No, there are no Polish jokes these days. After what we are witnessing in Ukraine with millions of refugees heading to Poland, their hospitality has been stellar. What makes it more intriguing is the hostility these two lands have often had for each other in the past. Now, even some corporations are opening their office towers so families can live in what were once offices. Families are inviting other families…sometimes multiple families into their homes for refuge. Perhaps we in the US need to see more video footage of violence in Central America to motivate us to welcome some who are fleeing hostility into our country, much less our places of business and homes.
This week is Holy Week and Easter. A time of betrayal, horror and astounding joy. Easter does not come to do away with all the pain and suffering. It could not go back and erase the event or the pain of the cross. Instead it brought to life what once was dead. It resurrected hope in a God who was good and would not allow evil the final word.
Some days appear as Good Friday. Some years, some times and even some lives appear as such. Our hope is never that all will be well. Our hope is that God has the final say on us and our lives.
This is the kind of hope devoid of cynicism. It is the kind of hope that opens doors and homes to refugees. It is the kind of hope that can transform enemies into care givers. Hope does not point fingers nor cast blame. Hope reaches out. Hope says God is present and at work in the worst of circumstances and I/we will be that hope for someone now hopeless. My/our arms, tongues, and possessions will be that hope for someone who needs lifting, kind words, and things.
Easter does not reverse the past. Easter gives it new life. Easter takes those once the butt of jokes and makes them stories of heroism, hospitality, and compassion. No, there are no Polish jokes these days. What the Poles and Ukrainians are dealing with is no laughing matter. It is the stuff of hope….Easter hope. The hope of new life.