On Sunday, Pope Benedict delivered his Easter message to millions of listeners across the world, choosing to focus on the bloodshed and strife occurring in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Zimbabwe and other troubled countries. Other Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox leaders and priests took the opportunity to speak on the environment, politics and other such issues.
It is a long tradition for upper-echelon religious figures to use such important occasions, when the number of their audience is often much larger, to weigh in on worldly issues. There is no doubt that their messages influence the opinion and thought of the followers of the faith and that several tenets of Christianity call for us to stand up for justice in the world; but is it right, on such a momentous occasion for the Christian faith, to use the opportunity to address these issues?
Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day of lying in the grave after his crucifixion by the Jewish leaders and Roman officials. It fulfilled the prophecies in the Old Testament and is the moment that God showed He has control even over death. The Easter holy days, beginning with Holy Thursday and ending on Easter Sunday, are arguably the most important events on the Christian calendar.
These four days represent the most important tenet of the Christian faith: that “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Should this moment be used to address political issues of the day?
Addressing political concerns was an issue even for figures in the Bible. The apostle Paul often used his rights as a Roman citizen to work toward the protection and advancement of the early church. Jesus himself said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s,” sparking centuries of speculation as to the implication of his words.
Scripture commands us to stand for justice, fight inequity and love one another. However, Jesus tells us repeatedly that the spiritual supersedes the temporal: “My kingdom is not of this world…my kingdom is from another place.” Therefore, whether it is in consideration of our day-to-day actions or in keeping our eyes on the ultimate goal, we should value the spiritual.
I am nowhere near as learned as the Pope, and far be it from me to come out and say that he and others were wrong to use Easter to address the issues, but perhaps on these holy days we should remember why they are celebrated and focus on them because of their importance.
Though the issues of this world are certainly of concern and should by all means be addressed with our fullest capabilities, we must never lose sight of our first priority, especially on this most holy of days: recognizing and being thankful for the sacrifice that our Lord and Christ made for us.
About the writer:
John Jose is a first-year finance, economics and international studies major. He can be reached at [email protected].
