Speaking in an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” on the morning of Good Friday, March 29, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, spoke about the “darkness” in the world right now and how we can remain focused on faith and hope despite these dark circumstances. Cardinal Dolan’s appearance came after the murder of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller on Monday, March 25.
Speaking to the FNC hosts about Good Friday, the day that marks the death of Jesus on the cross, Cardinal Dolan said, “On Good Friday, we’re going to remember what the Bible says — that from 12 to 3, darkness covered the whole earth. Things were so sad that literally the earth sobbed.” Continuing, he explained that such darkness and sobbing is “sometimes how we feel.”
However, he added that though things can be dark and depressing, they’re not all bad because Jesus offers light and hope even in the darkest of days. He said, “Here’s the scoop: Who has the last word? Is it going to be death or life? Is it going to be bad or good? Is it going to be despair or hope?”
Then, building on that, he explained that Easter is the day to remember that God wins, not Satan. “Easter, of course, tells us God has the last word, not Satan,” he said. “We have a Lord who is able to transform and to change, all right. He changed the horror, the darkness, the bleakness, the tremors of Good Friday — He can change that into life, and resurrection, and hope, and faith, and joy,” he added.
Cardinal Dolan also spoke about the conversation he had with some civilians from Ukraine who have faced the horrors of war and are still facing them this Easter, saying that despite their desperate circumstances, they’re hopeful. “They’re hopeful, they’re resilient, they know this is going to work out. They said they’ve been through this before. That’s the message of Easter. That’s what we need now,” he said.
Then, building on how people can overcome the darkness even in these less hopeful times, Cardinal Dolan said that people should consult their Bibles. “We’re looking for love in all the wrong places, like that old country western song,” he began. Continuing, he said that people should “get back to the very first of the Ten Commandments: ‘I am the Lord thy God, do not have strange Gods before me.'”
Further, he explained how people have gone down paths that are making their lives darker, trying to turn themselves into God instead of relying on His grace. “We turn ourselves into God, and when that happens, it’s over,” he said.
“Ultimately, the Lord is in charge. If we’re unaware of that and begin to think, ‘It all depends on me,’ no wonder,” he continued. He added, “No wonder we’re all depressed. No wonder we’re on a shrink’s couch. So, we’ve got to return to Him.”