Easter Eggs, Easter Bunny, and the Resurrection
e.
As I entered my local grocery store, I could not help but notice that the foyer was filled with Easter Eggs, Easter Bunnies, Easter baskets and those delicious Cadbury Eggs, among all the other Easter stuff ! All these items represent how the average person attempts to celebrate Easter. The resurrection of Christ is not considered very significant by the public and the meaning of Easter has been overshadowed by fuzzy rabbits, Easter eggs, and the commencement of Spring.
I suspect that topics relating to religion or God may be subjects that people scroll past and skip. I must admit that I am guilty of doing that occasionally. But it is not because the topic does not interest me. I think it has to do more with the thought that whatever is being written is something that I may not agree with. A form of being close-minded? I would say yes. With Easter one week away, I felt compelled to broach this topic with our readers. This piece is not meant to preach. It is not meant to condemn. It is not meant to debate. It is merely a desire to share with you my experiences and thoughts as it relates to Holy Week, what Christians deem to be the most sacred week in Christianity, and Easter Sunday.
Remembering…
Recalling my childhood as a young Catholic girl, Easter Sunday marked Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. It also marked the end of my Lenten sacrifice, something I promised to give up for Lent, which was almost always giving up chocolate. I remember going to Sunday Mass, having Easter egg hunts, and dinner with my family. Nothing remarkable. When I got married and had my kids, the tradition of Sunday Mass and Easter egg hunts continued. We also started the tradition of coloring Easter eggs the night before. And finally, my late mother-in-law introduced the Easter basket. All these were wonderful, family traditions that I remember fondly. However, none of these things addressed why Easter and the week leading up to Easter were and continue to be the most sacred week in Christianity.
*Disclaimer: The following thoughts come from the perspective of a young teenage girl who, at that time, did not ask her parents if they ever questioned what they were told to do*
From my perspective, my parents are God-fearing people. God is central to the family and continues to be an integral part of their lives. However, I do feel their understanding of their faith was limited. As obedient Catholics, if they were told to do something because it is what the Church had asked them to do, they would do it. No questions asked. If I were to ask my parents,” Why do you do this?” or “Why is it done that way?” I do not know if they could tell me the reasons why they did what they did other than that is what the Catholic church teaches. I find no fault in that. Obedience is a characteristic that is hard to come by these days. But can you imagine what life would be like had Jesus disobeyed his Father and refused to die for our sins?
As a young adult, I recall meeting people who knew the bible, who were able to quote verses from the bible whereas I was not able to do so. But I knew books belonging to the Old Testament and books belonging to the New Testament, I was very familiar with the parables that Jesus taught. I knew about Jesus’s birth, the miracles he performed, and the Passion of our Lord. But I did not know the bible like my acquaintances did. I possessed a general understanding of the bible. Therefore, when it came to having discussions about the bible, I could share what I learned, but I could not share the exact location of where to to find it in the bible. I do not believe that the inability to quote the bible diminishes any knowledge or lessons that I had learned. But I do acknowledge that it does put me at a disadvantage.
Why is Easter important?
If you were to ask a Christian, “What’s the importance of Easter?” A common response would be, “Jesus’s resurrection!” or “Jesus rose from the dead!” Those events are just that. Events. But the significance of that event is the foundation of the Christian faith. There are some who believe that Jesus commanded us to commemorate his death and not his resurrection and therefore, do not celebrate Easter. No doubt, Jesus’s death was significant, as it was part of God’s eternal plan that Jesus die as an innocent sacrificial lamb, a substitute payment for the sins of men. But the resurrection of Jesus signifies that death is defeated once and for all. Jesus did not only defeat death for himself, but for us as well. In doing so, he swung open the gates of heaven making a way for our sins to be forgiven and usher us into the presence of God (Romans 5:5-11). Wow! Very powerful and humbling. It brings into perspective the magnitude of what Jesus did and what he made possible for us.
But who of us has died and rose from the dead? Who of us can share what happens to us and where we go when we die? The answer to that question, whether Christian or not, is rooted in your faith. How you were raised, who the influencers in your life have been, and your conviction – all contribute to that answer. If you believe that when we die there is nothing, then what is the harm in being altruistic? But if you believe that there is life after death, then oh! The feat that Jesus had accomplished…that is a game changer!
This coming week is Holy Week. For those of you who do not know, Holy Week is the week leading up to Easter Sunday and it starts with Palm Sunday. During this week, many biblical prophesies were fulfilled. Jesus came to earth to save humanity by dying on the cross on Good Friday and resurrecting on Easter Sunday. Below are important days in Lent and a brief overview of the significance of each:
Palm Sunday
o Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey
o Palm branches, which symbolize triumph or victory, were strewn in Jesus’s path
Holy or Maundy Thursday
o In an upper room, Jesus and His disciples shared the Last Supper
o Jesus washed the feet of His disciples and broke break with them for the last time
o After the meal, the disciples accompanied Jesus to the Garden at Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed
Good Friday
o The last day of Jesus’s life on earth before His resurrection
o He was betrayed by Judas, and denied by Peter three times
o He was arrested and was placed on trial falsely
o He was condemned, beaten, mocked, and required to carry His own cross to the place where He was crucified and died
Holy Saturday
o Jesus’s body is laid to rest in the tomb
Easter Sunday
o Jesus rose from the dead, fulfilling the prophecy
o Marks Jesus’s victory over sin and death
“Religion is a specific system of belief and/or worship, often involving a code of ethics and philosophy” (pediaa.com, 2015)
I have not always walked a straight path. I have fallen many times but strive to live as God wants. The concepts and ideas that we discussed in “Perfection vs Excellence”, Episode 23 of the All the Things podcast can certainly be applied here, i.e. as it relates to doing your best and not being hard on yourself when you fall short of staying on the right path. I continue to learn about my religion and continue to question things that I do not understand. I have studied with people from other religions but have never been swayed to convert. There may be some things that I do not agree with, but it does not move me to find a religion that I can agree with 100%.
“Faith is the complete trust and confidence in someone or something” (pediaa.com, 2015)
Regardless of what you believe, approach this week with your eyes wide-opened. Don’t follow blindly rather I encourage you to be like a child and ask questions when you do not understand something. Have the courage to speak up when you see something that is not right. Don’t pre-judge rather have the foresight to understand that just because someone / something is different does not necessarily mean that it is bad. For Christians, I encourage you to ponder over the events summarized above and truly consider what Jesus did for you.
