Since 1973, the mantra for my beloved New York Mets is “Ya Gotta Believe.” First spoken by pitcher Tug McGraw, these three words turned into a rally of cry of hope for generations of fans.

Opening Day begins tomorrow for most (the Mets and Brewers will play on Friday due to rain in the New York area), and most fanbases can hope that this year will be the year. The new playoff format levels the playing field, giving the majority of teams a fighting chance, at least for the first few months of the season.

The opening of the baseball season coincides with the much more serious Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday), leading to the pinnacle of hope for the Christian faithful- Easter Sunday.

Many Christians (excluding the Orthodox faithful who will wait until early May this year for the conclusion of their Lenten season and Easter Sunday) will walk in the footsteps of Jesus over these next three days.

He will share in one last meal with his friends, model servant leadership, pray in fear, trust, and acceptance, before facing betrayal, arrest, persecution, and death on a cross. We know how the story ends, but for Jesus’ loved ones, they didn’t.

All they saw was their greatest hope come to this horrific end. They had to wonder, “Am I next,” explaining why many ran away and denied their companionship. Few stood by and accompanied Jesus in his final hours.

As a father of young girls, I am not certain that the gruesome details of Jesus’ death serve the intended purpose of these days. I pray they can emerge Sunday morning, after finding some candy-filled eggs scattered around the house and yard, grasping the importance of hope.

Because they too will walk difficult roads. They will see loved ones pass, and in some cases, they already have. My oldest is already asking more complex questions, wondering what happens when we take our last breath? What happens when our loved ones leave us?

We are seeing the impact of this in our classrooms as children are growing up in a span of 4-years of unexpected loss and illness, who are collectively trying to make sense of it all. Our children need hope. We all do.

Combine this with the increasing loss of life to violence (on the local, national, and global scale), record-number of people needing to migrate from their homes due to violence and climate-related issues (ex. famine, flooding, fires), we find ourselves as wounded travelers with very heavy hearts.

The increase in mental health challenges reflects this, and one of most effective tools for healing and developing healthy strategies is to find hope. Without it, every day might feel like Good Friday.

While we have the benefit of knowing the end of the Lenten story, we lack the experience of that Easter Sunday and those resurrection stories when those who cried just days before now encountered the Risen Christ. It explains how this way of life and love was able to inspire generations to share these stories and messages.

I wonder if we had this experience if we would see the world differently. Would our priorities change? Would we fear less? Would we trust more?

In my home, we are called to be Mets fans. We are also called to be Easter people. This means we are people of hope, believing in someone we did not see, but can feel in the depths of our heart.

Henri Nouwen says it this way: “Hope is not dependent on peace in the land, justice in the world, and success in the business. Hope is willing to leave unanswered questions unanswered and unknown futures unknown. Hope makes you see God’s guiding hand not only in the gentle and pleasant moments but also in the shadows of disappointment and darkness.”

May we as parents, as mentors, coaches, and teachers, reveal God’s guiding hand. From the darkness to the light, let’s be reminded of the lessons of these next few days. From the less signifiant baseball diamonds to the hallowed Churches and family tables, may we all be Easter people, filled with hope for what is to come, and grateful for what was and what is.