Resurrection: Deliver Us from Evil
On Easter Sunday morning, two very different messages appeared one after the other on my Twitter (X) feed (left) — one from the current president that required redaction of its profanity; and one from Pope Leo XIV reminding us of the true message of Easter.
We are in a moment in history that is exposing a dramatic chasm between our national leadership in the United States and the leader of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church. The stark contrast between the messages of these two leaders exposes the dramatic crisis of civilization that has been brewing for some time.
In the last few months, the current political administration has accelerated its use of religious terminology to justify its bellicose actions; the language of Christian Nationalism uses religion to consolidate power and justify oppression and war as it sees fit.
Pope Leo has repeatedly challenged the use of religious assertions to justify the War in Iran and other official acts of violence. In his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” address on Easter Sunday, he reminds us that, “Easter is the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hatred. It is a victory that came at a very high price: Christ, the Son of the living God (cf. Mt 16:16), had to die — and die on a cross — after suffering an unjust condemnation, being mocked and tortured, and shedding all his blood. As the true immolated Lamb, he took upon himself the sin of the world (cf. Jn 1:29; 1 Pet 1:18–19) and thus freed us all — and with us, all creation — from the dominion of evil.”
The Pope reminds us that the true meaning of the Resurrection is “…the beginning of a new humanity; it is the entrance into the true promised land, where justice, freedom, and peace reign, where all recognize one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father who is Love, Life, and Light.”
Bombing other people, showing “no mercy” as the Secretary of War has demanded, openly reveling in killing others — all of this rhetoric is the absolute contradiction of the true meaning of Easter and Christianity. On this Easter Sunday, let us join in solidarity with Pope Leo: “Let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us! Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!”
Read the full Urbi et Orbi text.
Also worth reading, Pope Leo’s homily at the Holy Thursday Mass
