In recent days, an Easter message from President Donald Trump has drawn attention – not because of its clarity in proclaiming the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but because of language that was careless, irreverent, and theologically confused.
This must be addressed – not as a matter of politics, but as a matter of truth.
Easter Sunday is the holiest day in the Christian calendar. It is the day on which the Church proclaims with unwavering certainty that Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, rose from the dead. Death was conquered. Sin was defeated. The gates of Heaven were opened.
This is not a day for casual speech. It is not a day for vulgarity. And it is not a day for confusion about who God is.
When coarse or profane language is used in reference to so sacred a mystery, it reveals something deeper than a momentary lapse – it reflects a loss of the sense of the sacred. And when religious language is blended carelessly, as though all expressions of belief are interchangeable, it obscures the truth that has been entrusted to us.
The Catholic Church teaches that there is one God. But she also proclaims that this one God has revealed Himself fully and definitively in Jesus Christ. Easter is not a generic celebration of “God.” It is the proclamation that Jesus Christ is risen.
To substitute clarity with ambiguity – even unintentionally – is to diminish the power of that proclamation.
As Catholics, our allegiance is not to any political figure, party, or movement. Our allegiance is to Jesus Christ, who is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Therefore, we must be willing to speak with honesty and charity when something falls short of that truth – no matter who speaks it.
This is not about condemnation. It is about calling all people – especially those in positions of influence – to a higher standard worthy of the name of Christ.
If we lament the loss of faith in the world, we must also recognize the loss of reverence. If we grieve confusion, we must recommit ourselves to clarity. And if we desire renewal, it must begin with a return to the sacred.
Easter demands more. It demands that we speak of God with reverence. It demands that we proclaim Christ with clarity. And it demands that we live as witnesses to the truth that the tomb is empty and that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Let us not lower that standard. Let us rise to it.
May Almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, Bishop Emeritus
