Easter Reflection: Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me

Happy Easter everyone! I love this time of year, not just because there's lots of chocolate (those who know me know what that's all about), but also because of what this time of year signifies.

The resurrection of Jesus is an incredible sign of hope for us all. That God loves us so much that he was willing to let his son die and then raise him again from the dead so that we could be saved is truly amazing and something that shows us no matter what, he is with us always. It is a sign for all people, especially Christians, of why we should always trust God, as he will never let us down.

The other day however, I heard something from a Priest in the United States which really struck a chord with me. It was something I'd never thought about, but now that I do, makes me value Easter even more.

Fr Robert Barron in one of his Youtube videos was discussing the idea that one of the great values of Easter is that not only does it show us what true hope is, but also, what it means to be truly great in the world today.

He talks about the fact that our views of greatness and power are based around the idea of violence and a win at all costs attitude. We fight wars for domination over countries and for many, the greatest people in the world today are the most powerful- think Barack or Vlad.

This isn't just us however, it's been the fabric of history since the fall of man. Cain killed Abel, the Egyptians enforced slavery and we've had more wars for land then I think there's been episodes of Days of our Lives. Then of course, there's our good friends the Romans. These people who loved throwing people to Lions for entertainment, who felt the necessary punishment for those who did wrong was to nail them on a cross to suffer a long and painful death. The Romans were conquerors and loved violence, seeing it as the great example of their power in the public domain.

They would have seen the death of Jesus as just another example (even if they washed their hands of it) of the dominance of the Roman empire over all.

The thing is though, in Jesus' resurrection, this whole idea is tipped on it's head. Jesus had every chance after he was risen by his heavenly Father to go out there and tell his disciples to seek vengeance. Every chance to call a plague or destruction of the Roman empire and Jewish life.

But he didn't.

Instead, when Peter cut the ear off one of the people trying to arrest Jesus, Jesus told him to put away his sword and healed the man. When Jesus rose from the dead, he went and greeted the disciples and his first words after that were Peace be with you. There was no violence, no hatred and no power games. There was just peace and a call to share that message to the world.

Long before Jesus death and resurrection, we saw the value and power of this very different way of thinking. Jesus through his willingness to talk to anyone including the Levites, Samaritans and many others, converted many and made them believe. After his resurrection, this message, carried by the disciples- would change the world as we know it.

Even today, in the midst of war and on going power struggles (think Syria, Ukraine) the greatest joy is found in the areas where peace and community reign. No matter how much money, power or property a person has, they will never match the happiness of those in third-world Africa, who while they have nothing, dance and celebrate on a regular basis like they have won the lottery.

Each Easter, we are reminded of this message through the amazing joy that we receive in the rising of Jesus. It is not just the fact that we have won that gives us joy, but it's the fact that we feel at peace with the world, that we know that through Christ rising from the dead, we are saved and that while we may still have to fight many more battles ahead, we do so in the peace of knowing our Saviour did this all before, and like Him, we can come through the other side.

There is no value in power, no worth in war (however we value the brave ones who fight in it to try to secure peace) and there's no reason for violence.

Jesus shows us every Easter that the key to salvation is through peace. It is the choice to love one another even through the hard times, to work out differences without resulting to violence and the ability to be a community that we experience true joy in the world we live in. He built a Church around His mother being in community with His beloved disciple and sharing that with the rest of the group. He changes our lives every year through a sign of true humility and love for all. There is no gun, no nuke or no missile which could achieve what Jesus does in the space of three days.

And with this in mind, my Easter prayer to you is that you let peace be in your hearts and share peace with the world- it is the legacy of Jesus and it is the true way to achieve greatness in the world today.

Have a blessed Easter season :)