Easter arrived this year on April 9 (Western; Orthodox is April 16).  The annual Easter date is determined by its connection to the vernal equinox (this year on March 20), as are the dates for Passover (started at sundown April 5th) and Ramadan (started at sundown March 22nd).  The vernal equinox is a blessed date for many other religions because it signifies the start of a new year.

Why so many religious celebrations around the date of the equinox?  Days have been lengthening since the winter solstice, so we (eventually) notice a gradual change in the season.  But winter still maintains a firm grip (in the northern hemisphere) on most of us until (and even after!) we turn this corner into spring.  Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus after the crucifixion.  The indigenous people celebrate this date because it marks a time of longer days moving into new growth of forage for horses, better hunting, and the planting seasons.  Jews celebrate Passover as freedom from the Egyptian overlords, and the beginning of the journey to the promised land.  Ramadan celebrates the gift from God to the prophet Mohammed of the holy book of Quran.  

Christ’s resurrection signifies victory over death, a beacon of hope for all of us regarding the life that follows this earthly experience we now enjoy.  It is a movement from the darkness of despair that our existence will end with our death and then . . . nothing.  Jesus gives us the hope that we too will live forever.  Because of His reality of resurrection, we can believe that death is another step on a journey of reunion with our Creator.  We can share in the blessing Christ gave Thomas when he confronted his personal doubts about the reality of resurrection.

These celebrations of victories, of renewal, of hope can arrive, though, in challenging times.  The realities of wars, pestilences, political unrest, repressions of people viewed as the “other,” economic pressures, increases in “us versus them” confrontations, false dichotomies of fairness – all these and more can intrude on our attempts to rejoice in the springs that can dispel our winters of discontent.  It is easy to focus on existing grievances (real or perceived) and trivialities, and neglect to bask in the sun of salvation and new beginnings.  We tend to ignore the now of the glorious thing that we have been given – salvation – and keep turning our minds and actions back to dwell on past hurts and on the less important temporary realities of daily life.  We don’t take the time to be one with the reality around us.  In our focus on our beliefs, we can forget that our sisters and brothers have received different revelations of the importance of this annual new beginning.  We would do well to learn more about their beliefs so we can more fully appreciate our own spiritual connections to our Creator.

It is Easter, it is Spring – birds sing, daffodils bloom, the sun warms, the rain showers cleanse.  We should remember what Christ said about the birds of the field, and rejoice in the nowness of our existence.  Yes, we need to make the world a better place – Christ also calls us to do that.  But for now, we should relish the gift of the moment.  We should celebrate all the things that Spring brings us. We should cherish all the things that Easter brings us.

My prayer today is for the grace to be block distractions that worry my mind and heart, and be in the moment, this moment, this gift from God of this breath, this Easter, this Spring.