Dietrich Bonhoeffer, to his parents, April 25, 1943 (opening paragraph)
My dear Parents,
Letters and Papers from Prison, DBW-RE, p. 31
Today ten days have finally passed, and I am allowed to write to you once again. I would really like to let you know that I am celebrating a happy Easter here. What is so liberating about Good Friday and Easter is the fact that our thoughts are pulled far beyond our personal circumstances to the ultimate meaning of all life, suffering, and indeed everything that happens, and that gives us great hope. Since yesterday it has become wonderfully quiet throughout the building. One could hear many people call out “Happy Easter” to each other, and, without envy, one wishes that everyone who carries out their difficult duty in here be granted the fulfillment of that wish. In the silence I now also hear your Easter greetings as you are gathered together today with my brothers and sisters and are thinking of me.
Mars Hill Press 