"Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless."
- Charles M. Crowe
From 1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think (2013)
- Robert Flatt
From What is God Waiting For?: Understanding Divine Delays in Your Life (2006)
Today is Easter Sunday. It is also the last day of the Jewish Passover. For Christians and Jews, it is a time to celebrate hope and freedom, no matter the dire circumstances in the world. Allow me to be frank. I am a baby boomer and I have never experienced such trying times before in my life. I was born well after the darkest days of World War II, when France fell to the Nazis and London was bombed during the Blitz. Now in the 21st century,, there seems to be a resurgence of fascism and the extreme right around the world. How could so many have forgotten the evils of Hitler and Mussolini and Imperial Japan?
It is 2025 and the United States is smack in the middle of the fight against fascism and authoritarianism posed by Donald Trump and his supporters, many of whom claim to be Christians. However, Trump's policies are the very antithesis of Christ's teachings. His immigration and refugee policies are cruel and vindictive, not to mention his contempt for the rule of law, his misogyny, his racism and his spreading of hatred. His policies flout Christian tenets as set out in parables such as The Good Samaritan. They do not advocate for the poor and disadvantaged. Trump's false god is money.
Pope Francis has strongly condemned the Trump administration's mass deportations policies. Vice President JD Vance, supports Trump's immigration policies, as does Mike Johnson, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Vance is a convert to Catholicism, and Johnson is an evangelical Christian and a Christian nationalist. How can they square their support of Trump's policies with the teachings of Christ. The so-called Christianity of the far right gives Christianity a bad name. Christianity teaches social justice. Trumpism is definitely not social justice. Christ spread a gospel of love. Donald Trump preaches hatred and discord.
Meanwhile, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has declared an Easter truce in the Ukraine. Both sides have blamed the other for breaking the truce. However, it should be pointed out that a truce would not have been needed in the first place if Putin, a war criminal, hadn't invaded Ukraine in February of 2022.
Love will triumph!
Happy Easter!
Now let the heavens be joyful,
Let the earth her song begin;
Let the round world keep triumph,
And all that is therein;
Invisible and visible,
Their notes let all things blend,
For Christ the Lord is risen
Our joy that hath no end
- Saint John of Damascenus
From The Congregational Hymn Book: Psalms and Hymns for Divine Worship (1881)
- Joanne
