This Sunday, churches throughout the area will see packed pews as families arrive to mark Easter.
For children, Easter holds a special magic.
In our family tradition, we have always waited until after Mass before scattering Easter candy throughout the house. Years ago, this custom led our youngest to pray at church that the Easter Bunny would remember our home, and he even added our address to his prayers—just in case the bunny might lose track of where to go amid the holiday rush.
For many adults, Easter represents an opportunity to wear fresh spring attire, welcoming the warmer season after an extended and harsh winter.
Yet Easter encompasses far more than these customs.
To Christians, Easter signifies the celebration of eternal life through Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
It seems more than merely coincidental that Easter falls on Sunday while, over the past two months, courtroom proceedings involving accused Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsanaev have required our community to revisit that horrific day from two years ago—when explosions at the Marathon finish line claimed three lives and wounded hundreds. Members of our community reflect on how near they came to that danger as they watched the Marathon unfold.
Throughout these past two months, testimony from bombing survivors has detailed the injuries they endured.
Monday brought particularly difficult trial testimony regarding the autopsy of the youngest victim, Martin Richard, and the devastating injuries sustained by his eight-year-old body from the blast.
Currently, Tsarnaev’s defense team is presenting arguments aimed at preventing a death sentence.
We do not intend to argue whether capital punishment should apply in this case. Rather, we urge our readers to contemplate the meaning of Easter as demonstrated through Jesus Christ’s passion and resurrection, and to consider whether the death penalty aligns with that example.
Although the jury bears responsibility for the death penalty decision, our community must also reflect on what choice we would make if the decision fell to us, and whether we would truly honor Jesus Christ’s example in the path toward healing from that terrible day.