Easter Message – Moreover the use of the word “tradition”

Moreover, the use of the word “tradition” made it clear that what Americans were celebrating on Easter Sunday was not some innate, fundamental truth, but rather such innocent, sentimental ideas as “hope” and “peace” that progressives like to use when they try to be generous to believers. The rest of the distorted memorial message said nothing about the caller’s identity and was more suited to Americans who preferred conciliatory sympathies to an established moral worldview than to devout Christians. Meanwhile, our President of the United States, whom we emphatically assure that he is a devout Catholic, made no mention of the resurrection or anyone who might ever rise again in his “first Easter Sunday speech.” Yes, Biden did not mention the Lord Jesus Christ in his Easter remarks to the nation, but he did manage to mention Pope Francis, although this seemed to have more to do with the Pope’s support for vaccination than with that special day in the liturgical calendar. Biden casually mentioned “holy day” while he lurked on the teleprompter and heroically uttered his words, even if they stuttered a little, with almost complete coherence, even if his wife seemed a little worried that he would fall head first into yet another slippery tongue that would make news at any moment. Thus dispelling any suspicion that this was merely a nice, heartfelt Easter message from the first family in the midst of one of the most divisive periods in American history. This is not the first time Biden has shied away from mentioning the man of the triune God on a Christian holiday. Instead of seeing this light as the good news of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and victory over sin and death, the first couple seemed to think that this “light” was the hope to defeat the coronavirus if we would all work together and get vaccinated. At this point, a tepid attempt to pay homage to an important Christian holiday turned into a public service announcement when Biden returned to the stage to take a strong and bold stand on an important ethical debate in the Christian world at large. Biden made clear what he thinks the American public should worship: the state, not the God who gave us the rights the Founding Fathers wanted to prevent the state from violating. “We share the sentiment of Pope Francis, who said that vaccination is a moral obligation that can save your life and the lives of others,” he said, challenging almost anyone who dares to suggest otherwise. The first couple offered Americans some of the most general and benevolent words about “the light that shines in the darkness,” as Christ is described in John’s Gospel. That the president of the United States would use an important Christian holiday to promote a massive government vaccination program may worry you. More and more Christians these days are choosing to call Easter Sunday “Sunday” to distinguish it from the cultural traditions of egg hunts, fancy hats, and dinners. Surely it must concern him that he felt more entitled to politicize this message than to dare to call the Lord whom he claims to serve.