Emphasis Preaching Journal

Graham Greene, the English Roman Catholic novelist wrote insightfully about problems facing the church. In Monsignor Quixote he suggested the possibility of a meaningful dialogue between Christians and Marxists. The story is about the Spanish priest Quixote and the communist ex-mayor of the little town Quixote served. The two embark on an excursion that is both humorous and profound. One day Quixote had a terrible dream during a siesta. He dreamed that Jesus was saved from the Cross by a legion of angels to which the devil had told him he could appeal for his deliverance. That meant there was no final agony. No heavy stone would have to be rolled from the tomb.

While Quixote stood there at Calvary, Jesus stepped down from the Cross, cheered and triumphant. Roman soldiers, including the centurion, knelt in his honor. People of Jerusalem stormed up Calvary to worship Jesus. Happy disciples clustered around him. Mary, his mother, smiled as she wiped away tears of joy. The whole world had to know with certainty that Jesus was the Son of God. Father Quixote awoke with a dreadful sense of chill. This would mean that his priesthood would be of no use to anyone. He whispered to himself that God should save him from such a belief. That, of course, does get to the heart of the matter. Easter holds no meaning for us if our Lord is not the "man of war" the Song of Moses claims he is. The Christ, who is our strength and our song, becomes our salvation only when he overcomes the last enemy, death.