Alleluia, Christ is risen! Throughout the world, these words will resonate in many languages, from churches to homes to makeshift shelters and refugee camps. ‘Christ is risen’ proclaims that whatever the circumstances of our world today, God is ever transforming it, reshaping it, and that the shape of things to come will be infinitely more glorious than anything we know right now. On this Easter Day, we are filled with joy at what God brings, yet we remember all those for whom joy is hard won, and overshadowed by the realities of war, conflict and death. We remember that to proclaim the Christ who died and rose again is to proclaim a radically different reality that challenges all the powers of this world, and all the forces that work for death instead of life. And so today, in solidarity with all for whom this day is difficult, we proclaim: Christ is risen! “‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’” — Luke 24:5-7