Chicago Mary and I recently had an e-mail discussion regarding a forthcoming visit from her best friend. “How do you define ‘best friend’?” I wanted to know. After all, my best friend is the person with me at the moment. They are all different and each has their own place in my life. Each and all are loved and appreciated. Mary’s reply was that a best friend is someone she can be herself with, imagined warts included.

Your best friend is the one who will sit bedside with you while you die. That astounding truth smashed into my head during the homily on Palm Sunday, a week before Easter, as Fr. Otto explained that in our life we play out the roles of the Passion characters. Most friends will not sit death watch. It’s just too hard. Only three of Jesus’ friends stood at the foot of the cross as he hung between heaven and earth, dying. Could we?

Judas betrayed Jesus into the hands of authorities so afraid of his power and their status that they wanted him out of their way. Read the news. It still happens. Peter along with the others professed unwavering faithfulness and then when the crunch came, they denied knowing Jesus. They didn’t want to get into trouble by association. Most of us don’t. Peter ultimately made positive steps to turn his decision around and follow the right path. Scores of us do that too.

Pontius Pilate washed his hands of the entire bloody business when a last minute message from his wife jarred his sensitivities. He made a weak attempt to set his conscience aright but not enough to make a right decision. How many of us keep our mouth shut even though we know something is dead wrong, like the business man who recently was ordered to ignore his coworkers of colour, or be fired?

Thank you, Fr. Otto, for excellent leadership. And Happy Easter to you and to our readers.