By Callista Gingrich and Newt Gingrich
On Easter, we will celebrate the most important day of the year for the Christian community – the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Christians around the world believe Jesus Christ was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead. This act of selfless, sacrificial love for humanity is at the heart of Christianity.
Easter is a time of joy and hope. It is through Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection that we are saved from sin and have hope for eternal life with God in Heaven. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”
This Easter is sadly marred by the tragic inhumanity of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we also mourn the killing of innocent children, the brutalization of women, and the destruction of entire cities.
Pope Francis, in his Palm Sunday homily, reminded us that, “When we resort to violence, we show that we no longer know anything about God, who is our Father, or even about others, who are our brothers and sisters. We lose sight of why we are in the world and even end up committing senseless acts of cruelty. We see this in the folly of war, where Christ is crucified yet another time. Christ is once more nailed to the Cross in mothers who mourn the unjust death of husbands and sons. He is crucified in refugees who flee from bombs with children in their arms. He is crucified in the elderly left alone to die; in young people deprived of a future; in soldiers sent to kill their brothers and sisters.”
The vivid image of Jesus Christ being crucified by the Russian invaders is a powerful reminder that we have an obligation to reach out and be concerned for everyone whose lives are at risk this Easter.
Unfortunately, Ukraine is not the only country in which Jesus Christ is being crucified again.
There are currently small wars and massacres around the world. There are also people starving to death in poor countries. With the agricultural impact of Russia and Ukraine having limited food and fertilizer exports this year, millions more will be at risk of starvation.
U.N. World Food Programme Executive David Beasley, (who has done an astonishingly effective job) warns that, “while Covid is undeniably exacerbating fragility around the world, manmade conflict is driving instability and powering a destructive new wave of famine that threatens to sweep across the world. The toll being paid in human misery is unimaginable.”
This Easter, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we remember and pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are facing violence, hunger, and pain.
We rejoice knowing that the risen Christ offers hope to all.
