Reflection inspired by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
On this Good Friday, as Christianity contemplates with reverence the mystery of the Passion of Christ, we are invited to reflect on the way in which the Savior faced pain, fear and death. More than a liturgical memory, this is an invitation to transform our outlook on human suffering.
In a memorable lecture held in 1989, Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira — a Catholic thinker of notable influence in the 20th century — offered valuable advice on how to face life’s great sufferings. He starts from a simple but profoundly true observation: when faced with imminent pain, human beings tend to avoid facing it head on. They prefer to nurture foolish hopes or sink into paralyzing fears.
Plinio proposes a different path, inspired directly by Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden of Olives. There, even before his arrest, Jesus saw and foresaw everything he would suffer. He did not run away. He did not delude himself. Instead, he meditated on each pain, sweated blood before the prospect of the cross and asked the Father for strength. And, having received this heavenly help, he remained steadfast until the end.
Christ thus gives us the perfect model:
To look pain in the face. To ask for strength. To face it with courage.
For Plinio, this is the secret to not failing in life. The man who does not have the courage to foresee his trials, who does not ask God for help and allows himself to be dragged down by panic or vain hopes, is doomed to ruin. He who, on the contrary, prepares himself spiritually for battle — like Jesus in the Garden — finds the true path to Christian strength.
The professor also reminds us that this preparation requires habit. One cannot improvise heroism in times of pain. One must accustom one’s spirit to the truth, even if it is hard. “The truth is sometimes terrible,” he says, “but it is by looking it in the face that one finds the strength to continue.”
On this Good Friday, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira’s message echoes as a call to spiritual maturity. Do not run away from suffering, but transform it into an opportunity for grace, as Our Lord did. This is how life’s greatest battles are won. This is how we walk with Christ until the Resurrection.
