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“[…] So, after the Easter Celebrations, if we want to restore and rebuild our nation, we must come to terms with the politics of Easter.
“We must be courageous enough to take off the political clothing of our political parties and risk speaking out on issues affecting the citizenry and calling a spade a spade—even if doing so may require challenging the status quo like Jesus did…”
The following Letter to the Editor on the significance of Easter on Trinidad and Tobago’s growth as a nation state was submitted to Wired868 by Bryan St Louis:
Brothers and Sisters, the commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which Easter celebrates, is the foundation of the Christian faith as it also celebrates the defeat of death and the hope of salvation.
It also marks the end of the Lenten season which started on Ash Wednesday, during which many of us fasted and observed spiritual discipline and repentance.
As we celebrate Easter it is a good time for reflection as we may have overlooked some of the important things in life. It is very good to step back and slow down so that we could recall all the things we should be grateful and thankful for.
Whilst Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins, His crucifixion on Good Friday was a political statement by the authorities to signify punishment for speaking out and rebelling against the power of the social order at the time.
This was done by Italian painter Duccio di Buoninsegna before Michelango’s ‘Italianised’ version of Jesus.
That crucifixion had the support of various political factions and religious leaders linked heavily with the Scribes and Pharisees, who were the power brokers of the day.
So, instead of being totally in tune with Jesus’ message, they resented Him and saw Him as a threat to their own status.
His resurrection is a celebration of His ultimate triumph over those oppressive powers that crucified Him. Today, the meaning of Easter for millions of Christians is that of honouring and recognising Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, and His glorious promises of eternal life for all who believe in Him.
So, after the Easter Celebrations, if we want to restore and rebuild our nation, we must come to terms with the politics of Easter.
We must be courageous enough to take off the political clothing of our political parties and risk speaking out on issues affecting the citizenry and calling a spade a spade—even if doing so may require challenging the status quo like Jesus did.
As ordinary citizens, our challenges are real, but we must be comforted in the fact that the Resurrection of Christ gives us the confidence to overcome our problems in the face of demagoguery.
We must be honest and truthful in our daily activities and the teachings of Easter should assist us in doing the things necessary to be rescued from the false messiahs.
So, as we celebrate Easter, let us forget about the Easter bunny and Easter eggs and reflect upon the socialist ideas of a great radical thinker: Jesus Christ, who helped the oppressed at every point and pointed people to a new and better world.
The great gift of Easter is hope and it is how Christians measures time.
The Resurrection gives our lives meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over, no matter what the circumstances. It is a symbol of hope and should be looked at as a confirmation that our hope for once again getting proper leadership in our beloved nation is not in vain.
As ordinary citizens we must however begin to do all the work necessary now to translate that hope into reality.
Have a blessed Easter everyone!
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Bryan St Louis is a former education officer for the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU).
