Typically when people think of Easter, it’s all about easter eggs and candy and cute little bunny rabbits. Ham for dinner, hopefully with your family and friends.
Except it’s not supposed to be all about bunnies and chocolate and jelly beans. It’s the day that Christ has risen from the dead, after being horribly crucified and dying for us. Pain. Suffering. Blood.
But nobody wants to think about that. They run out and buy little rabbits for their kids, forever dooming them to a life spent in a tiny cage with nobody paying attention to them after the first day. Do you know how long a rabbit can live in a cage? A long time. Just ask my sister. The pet store does NOT take them back. Many will release them into the wild, sentencing them to certain death by more experienced predators. Maybe that’s better than sitting in a cage.
The candy and the easter eggs are fairly harmless, albeit to your waistline. But some families go WAY beyond that. Another gift giving opportunity! Bicycles and new spring clothes and iPods and iPads….the list goes on.
Call me a scrooge. I don’t believe that children need pricey Easter baskets full of gifts that the giver probably put on their credit card which will take them ten years to pay off the balance. And don’t get me started on Christmas. All these RELIGIOUS holidays have turned into a marketing frenzy for stores. Presents galore!
Now, don’t get me wrong, nothing cuter than an Easter egg hunt with the little ones for that perfect Kodak moment. But too many people are too busy with the extravaganza they have made these holidays into to even go to church. Too busy shopping, baking, cooking etc. to go to church, and give an hour to God to praise him for sending his only begotten Son to earth to SUFFER and DIE for our sins.
And that makes me sad. And a scrooge, I guess. I’m done with the Easter baskets and presents etc. If parents want to give their kids presents, I’m all for it. But beyond that, I think it is unnecessary. I love getting together with my family, but we should be rejoicing in the MEANING of the day, and not about how many gifts we bring.
The saddest part of all are the people who think of themselves as good Catholics or Christians and spent a lot of money to send their kids to private Catholic school, and then never go to church. I sure don’t understand that one. What is that teaching their children? What kind of example is that setting?
Trust me, I am no Saint. I am not a good example of a good Catholic. I go to church willy nilly, sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. I went to the Easter Vigil last night for the first time in my life, and I went to Catholic school for 10 years! I grew up in a Catholic family who rarely went to church on Sundays, and it used to embarrass me on Mondays when my friends at school would ask why they never saw me at church on Sundays. My mom and dad were hard workers and I suppose they thought it was their day of rest. After all, us kids went to mass every day before school. That was enough. And as kids, we agreed!
So, I guess it is a personal interaction with God. Some people say they don’t need to go to church to pray. I myself feel better to go to God’s house to pray. It gives me peace, and I mostly enjoy the familiar ceremony. As long as you feel at peace with God and yourself, you should be go to go. As for me, I hope that God accepts me into the kingdom of heaven, and I am not left behind.
Welcome to my Merry-Go-Round! 