An Easter Message from Dean Pak
Just in the past ten days, there have been a mass shooting, the start of a long-awaited trial, and further atrocious acts of violence against the AAPI community. There is deep mourning for the tragic loss of life in Boulder, CO, as well as profound gratitude for those who risked their lives to help others during the shooting. There is an inexpressible yearning for justice to be served in the trial of the police officer accused of George Floyd’s murder. There is devastation and growing fear within the AAPI communities across the nation in the face of bystanders doing nothing while an Asian-American woman this past Monday in Manhattan had her head stomped on and body kicked numerous times. And we are still in COVID-19’s tomb of death and disorientation.
If ever we needed an Easter, it is now. And yet, we may be so weary, so disillusioned, so numb that Easter risks feeling fleeting, even insufficient.
But whatever form of devastation you feel at this very moment, the disciples on that Friday and long Saturday are right there with you. Their whole world had been shattered. They, too, fled in fear and tried to hole up away from the world.
But whatever form of devastation you feel at this very moment, the disciples on that Friday and long Saturday are right there with you.
It was into this shattered world that Easter morning burst through. Just as the disciples that morning struggled to grasp it—not immediately understanding the proclamation of the empty tomb—we may also struggle this year to recognize the inbreaking of Easter. Nonetheless…none the less, the risen Christ is with us, right in our midst, receiving our weeping, whispering “be not afraid,” and proclaiming that death and devastation, violence and oppression, injustice and discrimination are never the last word. In Easter, God begins the work of making all things new.
May the consoling presence of the Risen Christ comfort and sustain you this Easter. May the Empty Tomb captivate your imagination, stir your heart, and move your body toward a resurrected, renewed world of justice, peace, and love.
G. Sujin Pak, dean