In the fall of 1996, I met Julia Esquivel. It was my first year of seminary. I was one of two students who were native Spanish speakers. One of my professors had asked me to serve as a host to Mrs. Esquivel. Julia, as she insisted I address her, was a renowned Guatemalan poet and liberation theologian who often wrote about human rights abuses, particularly against the Maya Quiche people. Mrs. Esquivel came to give a guest lecture at the seminary. As a poet, she spoke of the intersection of Liberation Theology and real life through verse. Standing at 5 feet 2 inches, she was a giant, but I did not know it.
I lived a fairly sheltered life. We did not talk much about politics or the situation in other countries for the same reasons people don’t like to talk politics today. I was introduced to some human rights issues in high school, and to more in college, but it was in seminary that my eyes were truly opened. This is in no small part due to Julia Esquivel. As she read her poetry, I took notes. During meals, I would ask her questions and listen as I translated for her in other conversations.
One of the poems she read was They Threatened Us with Resurrection. She wrote the poem in 1980, during some of the most intense periods of government persecution. In her poem, she writes about disappearances and deaths in her village. Even when her friends and neighbors have been killed, she reflects, they are still alive. They live in the people’s conversations and memories. In that sense, they have defied death and are now resurrected. Because of this resurrection, Esquivel writes that they are not afraid to stand up to their oppressors, knowing they will be resurrected as well.
To be people of Easter, resurrected people, is to live outside of fear. No threat of violence – physical, emotional, or otherwise – can compromise our sense of right and wrong. Life is not dependent on the whims of those who persecute us. Our life is built on the love of God. This is the message of Easter. As we live with this certainty, we will be people of the Resurrection.
Prayer: Lord of Life, strengthen my love so it will surpass all my fears. Amen.
Rev. Eduardo Bousson is the Senior Manager of Collegiate Ministries at The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church.
This content was originally published by The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry; republished with permission by ResourceUMC on April 27, 2026.