19 April 2025
by Lev Shlosberg
Source: Telegram
There will be no Easter truce. On Easter night, top state officials will stand with candles before the image of the risen Christ, but at the very same time, people will be killing one another.
Demonstrative piety has become an indispensable attribute of public politics. “I’m one of you!” – political actors seem to exclaim to their audiences. The piety of politicians is presented to society as some kind of benchmark of conscientiousness, decency, and humanity.
There is no need to stand before icons with Lenten faces. Here is an entirely real and frightening situation: people continue to kill people. If you are adherents of Christ, if you understand that God is love and not enmity, stop the bloodshed; at least sign an Easter truce. This is the festival of the Resurrection of Christ. Holiday of holidays. Celebration of celebrations.
The Christian understanding of Easter is the “passing from death to life, from earth to heaven.” If you are believing Christians, then God himself suggests a way out, a solution, an act.
Come on, you who pray before the image of the Savior, act, if you do indeed believe. Here it is – the Christian moment of truth.
But – no. Standing in the spotlight in front of the icons with an Easter candle in your hands is as much as you want. To halt the machinery of death – no.
The festival of the Resurrection of Christ has a second name in Orthodox iconography: The Descent into Hell. According to dogma, after the crucifixion, Jesus Christ descended into Hell and, having destroyed its gates, delivered an evangelical sermon, let free the souls imprisoned there, and brought out of hell all the righteous of the Old Testament, as well as Adam and Eve. The Descent of Christ into Hell is a part of the Passion of Christ. It is believed that this event took place on the second day of Christ’s stay in the tomb and it is commemorated during the church service on Holy Saturday.
So what, rulers of the world, who make the sign of the cross – that is – the crucifixion of the Lord? Are you ready to follow in the footsteps of the Savior down into the hell of war and bring out its prisoners? Not ready? Not ready.
Then familiarize yourselves with life in Hell. For you have not found a path for the nations to follow out of hell.
Translated by Alyssa Rider
