Pope John Paul II Easter and Freedom
As Christians look forward to celebrating Good Friday and Easter the power of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross is on the minds of millions of people across the globe.
Today, Christians suffer very real persecution unto death in places like China, Sudan, Egypt, Iraq and Iran, where Christ’s message is seen as a threat to the established order.
Even here in America, Christians have been called upon to live their faith and conscience in the face of government attempts to force them into acts, such as performing abortions, that are morally repugnant and contrary to their faith. Here at home, while we may be physically safe, we are all too aware of the petty harassments practicing Christians suffer at the hands of a secularist government.
As Christians look back over 2000 years of persecution, to Christ’s Good Friday sacrifice many will wonder what it is about their faith that has made Christianity so threatening.
In a word, it is freedom.
As Pope John Paul II so eloquently preached in his 1990 Easter message, "Only the risen Christ can fully satisfy your irrepressible yearning for freedom."
In the 22 years since the Holy Father offered that hope to the millions who were just then throwing off the tyranny of 60 years of war and dictatorship in Europe much has changed. In the western world, those who were held captive, as the Pope said, “in the name of godless ideologies” have been freed.
However, in the East and in Africa the struggle for freedom continues and has risen to a new and more lethal level for Christians.
As Americans we should have a unique appreciation for the power of the risen Christ to satisfy our yearning for freedom – it is what brought many of our ancestors to the New World and empowered them to build an entirely new society with the freedom and the sanctity of the individual as its most cherished principles.
While Easter is the time that Christians reflect upon the sacrifice of Christ that has attracted martyrs for more than 2000 years we may overlook the power that sacrifice grants us. As Pope John Paul II reminded us, the yearning for freedom is irrepressible and coupled with power of Christ’s message not even war and dictatorship can stand against it forever.
Today, Christians suffer very real persecution unto death in places like China, Sudan, Egypt, Iraq and Iran, where Christ’s message is seen as a threat to the established order.
Even here in America, Christians have been called upon to live their faith and conscience in the face of government attempts to force them into acts, such as performing abortions, that are morally repugnant and contrary to their faith. Here at home, while we may be physically safe, we are all too aware of the petty harassments practicing Christians suffer at the hands of a secularist government.
As Christians look back over 2000 years of persecution, to Christ’s Good Friday sacrifice many will wonder what it is about their faith that has made Christianity so threatening.
In a word, it is freedom.
As Pope John Paul II so eloquently preached in his 1990 Easter message, "Only the risen Christ can fully satisfy your irrepressible yearning for freedom."
In the 22 years since the Holy Father offered that hope to the millions who were just then throwing off the tyranny of 60 years of war and dictatorship in Europe much has changed. In the western world, those who were held captive, as the Pope said, “in the name of godless ideologies” have been freed.
However, in the East and in Africa the struggle for freedom continues and has risen to a new and more lethal level for Christians.
As Americans we should have a unique appreciation for the power of the risen Christ to satisfy our yearning for freedom – it is what brought many of our ancestors to the New World and empowered them to build an entirely new society with the freedom and the sanctity of the individual as its most cherished principles.
While Easter is the time that Christians reflect upon the sacrifice of Christ that has attracted martyrs for more than 2000 years we may overlook the power that sacrifice grants us. As Pope John Paul II reminded us, the yearning for freedom is irrepressible and coupled with power of Christ’s message not even war and dictatorship can stand against it forever.
Pope John Paul II Easter and Freedom | ConservativeHQ.com
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