“Faith Matters” is a column that features pieces written by local religious figures. Prominent among the artwork on the Bethlehem portion of Israel’s illegal separation wall, which snakes its way throughout the West Bank, are these words: LOVE WINS. The visual of that bold proclamation com es to my mind each Easter. Why? Because I can’t imagine a more succinct and compelling articulation of the Easter message. What better way to experience the meaning of resurrection than to take to heart the triumph of love over hate, of love over violence, of life over death?   Right now, however, in the midst of the U.S. and Israel’s illegal war against Iran, at a moment when the president of the United States has declared to the whole world his genocidal intent, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” you may find yourself, like me, struggling to trust that love wins. There is little evidence that the powers-that-be (or in the words of scripture, the “powers and principalities”) will cease and desist from their “warring madness.” And let’s be honest, what President Trump has threatened is madness. Faith teaches us to hope in spite of the evidence, with the assurance that we will then watch the evidence change. But, as we well know, such change will only come about through our action — collective, persistent, fervent, organized, principled action. The time for such collective action is right now, in this exact moment when the very stones are crying out for our resistance to the loveless and inhumane war-mongering of empire. There is an urgency to this moment. Those of us who are Christians — witnesses to the resurrection — must condemn war, insisting as Pope Leo did in his Easter message that “those who have weapons lay them down,” and must advocate instead for the power of love and the welfare of all.  People of all faiths must defend the sacredness and inherent dignity of all people, must confront abusive power, and must denounce imperial violence and war.  And in this moment of crisis, those of us who are citizens of this nation have a unique responsibility. We must speak truth to, and restrain, the reckless power of our own government.  As Robert Reich asserted in a recent blog posting, “We must say unambiguously that what Trump is now threatening is truly evil. It’s our responsibility as human beings to demand that Trump repudiate this threat to other human beings. It is our responsibility to call on all other Americans, in whatever capacity, to stand up against this despotic act of pure immorality. Write. Phone. Shout. March. Trump has moved beyond indecency into the realm of insanity. This must be stopped.”  Yes, indeed. This must be stopped. Thankfully, the two-week cease fire announced at the 11th hour is providing a pause for now. I for one could breathe more easily this past Tuesday night. But the moment is no less urgent. This cease-fire is shaky at best, with contentious interpretations about its provisions, and Trump’s deranged genocidal threat still hangs in the air.  Although Trump describes his faith as Christian, as does Pete Hegseth, their appetite for war and vengeance demonstrates that the faith they espouse is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. Their faith may be Christian in name, but it is not in practice.   Jesus commanded, “Love your enemies” [Matthew 5:44]. Trump hates his enemies. Jesus wept over Jerusalem saying, “If you. . . had only recognized . . . the things that make for peace” [Luke 19:41]. At the Pentagon Pete Hegseth promotes war, praying “in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ” that “justice be executed swiftly and . . . wicked souls delivered to the eternal damnation.”  Jesus centered children, reached out to the marginalized and outcasts, and called for his followers to love and care for the homeless, the sick, those imprisoned, in short, the most vulnerable, the “least of these” [Matthew 25:40] in our midst. Trump attacks the most vulnerable, disparaging their humanity and now threatening innocents with death and destruction.  What might Jesus have to say in response to this twisted and heretical version of Christianity?  Possibly, “hypocrites. . . you brood of vipers” [Matthew 23:29,33] These are dark times. Ours is still very much also a Good Friday world, full of crucifixions. But that is not the whole story.  As the poet Theodore Roethke reminds us, “in a dark time the eye begins to see.” So it was for the women – the first disciples – on that first Easter.  As night ended and dawn began to break, they found the tomb of Jesus empty. Yet there, in the confusion of that moment, they had the eyes to see and recognize Jesus as risen. They had the confidence to embrace him as the embodiment of irrepressible love, as the affirmation that, despite the malevolent intent of the powers-that-be, love wins. In these times unnerving to my confidence that love truly does win, I take heart from this year’s Easter message by Daoud Nassar. A Palestinian Christian, Daoud lives just outside of Bethlehem, on an ancestral hilltop farm, The Tent of Nations. Despite holding a deed documenting the Nassar family’s ownership of the land since 1916, they have suffered decades of legal challenges from the Israeli government and constant harassment from surrounding settlers. Daoud has plenty of reasons to question whether love wins, and yet, he writes this:      “As we celebrate Easter this year with heavy hearts, we are reminded that light breaks through the darkness, that pain, injustice, and even death do not have the final word, and that the empty tomb is not just a symbol of victory over death, but a promise that love is stronger than hate, that justice will rise, and that peace will prevail. Jesus rose, not only to comfort the brokenhearted, but to challenge systems of oppression, and to call for a new way of living. He challenged both the religious and political powers of his day, and his resurrection was – and still is – a revolution of love.” As a matter of faith, let us all participate in this revolution of love. Let us persist in collective action, insisting on nonviolence and working for justice for all. For when we do, love wins. The Rev. Allie Perry is the worship coordinator of Shalom UCC, New Haven. Her email address is: [email protected]. Previous ​“Faith Matters” columns:  • From Redemption to Revelation • Self-Restraint In The Age Of Distraction• Faith Matters: Will You Cross The Road?• Faith Matters: Jesus Remembered Immigrants• Faith Matters: 17 Steps To Self-Care• Extreme Compassion• Put A Shovel In The Ground• Start With The Foundation• True Sanctuary• Kingdom Questions• Faith Matters: Faith Over Fear• Faith Matters: Scar Glory• Faith (Still) Matters• Missions Ride on Faith• Why I’m Called To March• Faith Matters: Not Moonwalking• My Prayer For Peace Unity• Faith Matters: Belief In Action• Faith Matters: Gaza  Ramadan• Faith Matters: On Passover  Redemption• Faith Matters: Freedom Struggles  Holy Week• Faith Matters: Welcome The Stranger• Faith Matters: Beyond Neutrality• Faith Matters: The Lightened Yoke Is Love• Faith Matters: Combat Negativity With Compassion• Faith Matters: In The Middle• Faith Matters: Three Scandals• Faith Matters: The Three Hounds Of Hell• Faith Matters: In Praise Of Empathy• Faith Matters: Focus On God• Faith Matters: How To Say Goodbye• Missing Catherine• Faith Matters: Divine Light In Times Of Darkness• Jesus Islam• Faith  Famine• A Stick Of Faith• Faith Matters: For All The Saints The post Let’s Join A Love Revolution appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less