EASTER 2023 brought out, once again, the power of religion not only as an enduring global spiritual force, but one that also influences all others – including politics – and in which name war is fought and peace is sought.

Whenever violent clashes happen between fighters in the name of God, it’s always the believers who pay the ultimate price with their lives; losing their homes and places of worship, unable to sleep and pray, or to say what tomorrow will bring.

Yet, it’s the same strong spiritual beliefs of believers that instill and reinforce hope, plant wishes and drive dreams for peace during the wars over or otherwise influenced by religion.
The ‘Good Friday Agreement’ 25 years ago in Northern Ireland brought Catholics and Protestants, Nationalists, Unionists and Republicans together, in a power-sharing government, after 30 years of armed warfare that took over 3,000 lives.

But the ‘Good Friday Agreement’ is now being viewed, in retrospect, as visionary, even revolutionary, as there’s still no power to share after months of disagreement.
Same with the four corners of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in East Jerusalem, where Easter, Ramadan and Passover clash more violently and frequently today, with restrictions on who can enter places of worship, and armed conflicts that leave worshippers dead, wounded or arrested.

Easter 2023 also heard a direct appeal for peace across the world from Pope Francis; and this year’s annual Eastertime Peace March in Germany focused on ending arms supplies to Ukraine.
Conflicts and Climate Change have hit Muslim populations hard in the past year, from the floods in Pakistan to the two seismic earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria two months ago, or the earthquakes and floods in Afghanistan before them all.

Millions more Muslim refugees have fled their war-torn or economically-beleaguered nations, attracting specially-targeted appeals from the United Nations during Ramadan, and prayers are also being counted on to bring eventual lasting peace to Yemen, with Saudi Arabia and Iran burying their hatchets.

Peace is also always fragile and volatile in the Middle East, where believers pay higher prices than those fighting, while prayers for peace intensify alongside continuing and increasing violence.
But not so in Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean where Christians observed Easter with renewed vigor in the post-COVID era of no longer being restricted by social distancing, masks and other restrictive protocols.

Catholics observed the 40 days and 40 nights of selective fasting as usual, but with more palms and longer processions on Palm Sunday, more dietary adjustments for fasting on Good Friday, bigger congregations at all churches on Easter Sunday – and more sharing of ‘Hot Cross Buns’, Easter Eggs, puddings, pastries and other related seasonal delicacies on Holy Saturday and Easter Monday.

Same with Anglican, Methodist, Adventist, Episcopal and other evangelical Christian faiths, as with Muslims and Hindus, Buddhists and other religious tendencies represented and scattered across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) island chain (from Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica in the north to Trinidad & Tobago in the south) to The Guianas (Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname) and neighboring Brazil and Venezuela.

Besides, Guyana’s historical multi-cultural, multi-religious background has, over decades, been maturely managed across racial and denominational lines, with all Guyanese mixing, mingling and matching at and for all religious festivals, from Christmas to Eid to Phagwah.
That’s how it’s always been; that’s how it was for Easter, Ramadan and Navratri ’23.’And that’s how it’ll continue in a land where prayers mean just as much to every believer; each also guaranteed full freedom of religious choice and practice.

Amen!
Salaam Alaikum!
Namaste!