A Personal Easter Message During Trying Times

Over the next few days Christians here and all over the world will prepare to celebrate one of the holiest days of our faith. The Eastern Orthodox Church will celebrate Easter one week later, as they follow the Julian calendar verses the Gregorian calendar.

All of this as the world watches in disbelief as the genocide in Ukraine continues. At no other time in the last 77 years can I think of a period when humanity should be taking a deeper look into the meaning of Christianity and our responsibility to one another than today. I do not mean to diminish the importance of the many challenges that have faced the world since the end of World War II and the horrible results of that horrendous conflict, but instead wish to point out the similarities between now and the start of those dark days in the past.

It hastens the question of what the world should be doing to stop the onslaught of monstrous crimes and devastation to the civilian population of this free and democratic nation. 

Vladimir Putin has threatened to unleash a horrific response to interference of his illegal invasion of this sovereign nation by playing the nuclear card. Putin, who wields the largest nuclear stockpile in the world, threatening other nations early on that if they interfered, they would “face consequences greater than any” that they have ever “faced in history.” 

The world stands on the precipice of a tragedy, with no resolution in sight, as 44 million Ukrainians suffer as innocent pawns. Women and children are being massacred and young girls subjected to unspeakable abuses. 

All of this while many in the world prepare to celebrate the resurrection of the “Prince of Peace,” the most important celebration in Christianity, an event which should be the centerpiece of our celebrations of this weekend. It is ironic that this falls close to Hitler’s occupation of Czechoslovakia in March of 1939 and the precursor to the beginning of World War II.

It is also ironic that the same technology used globally to feed millions of starving people, in the blink of an eye can also be used to slaughter those millions. 

Looking at the events of the last two months, you may see an analogy to the suffering of Christ on the Cross to the suffering of the innocents in Ukraine. If “hope” was the message that came out of the resurrection, what are we to draw from the tragedy in Ukraine? 

If you are looking for answers to the events of the last two months or a way forward, I am sorry to disappoint you, as no one person is capable of that miracle. It lies in all our hearts. That we could let things get this far out of control is beyond me, for it appears we may have lacked the necessary insight to see where evil lies in wait and is not afraid to take advantage of the opportunity that avails itself.

Brutal autocrats such as Vladimir Putin are a creation of society’s indifference, both within our own nation and those that spawn brutal tyrants like him. They exist because we allow them to gain strength and oppress freedom in their own nations and seek to export that tyranny across their borders to weaker nations that they seek to oppress and take under their sphere of influence.

As Christians this next week we must begin in earnest to renew our faith and strengthen ourselves for the times that lie ahead. We can ill afford to shrink from our responsibilities to stand with those weaker than ourselves. We must double our efforts to be the hand that lifts those from the depths of oppression, while being a beacon of light and hope for those who are being drawn into the darkness of tyranny. We must use those great gifts granted to us by our creator to beat back famine, conquer disease and help to educate those who seek to improve their lot in life. We must return to the days of American greatness, where we stand as that beacon of hope that freedom-seeking people across the world yearn for.

We must do all we can to stand by those men, women, and children of Ukraine in their dark days and provide them with the means to defend themselves. We must continue to encourage those within Russia move into light and cast of the dark days which some in their leadership may be relegating them to.

If God’s greatest gift to humanity has been as I believe, his Son Jesus himself and the Hope which springs eternal through his sacrifice, then we as Christians must reaffirm that faith on this Sunday. It is through our faith that we will gain the strength that has seen us through so many challenges in the past.

I want to wish you all a wonderful Easter with your families as we pray for those not as fortunate as us, as well as our men and women in uniform and those that stand the watches here at home.