The Triduum is nearly here, which makes this the perfect time to meditate on death. Easter Sunday comes only after Gethsemane and Golgotha. We want the Resurrection, but first there is the Passion. In much the same way, we desire the promise of heaven without passing through the exacting reality of sanctification and death. The way this age ignores Good Friday and rushes to Easter Sunday closely resembles its approach to death and salvation. Our generation desires an end that is both unambiguous and decidedly happy, leaving little room for grief, judgement or transformation. In this way, we are tempted to skip not only Good Friday, but everything it requires: justice, purification and the cost of resurrection.