Sunday Musings, April 9, 2023
In the Christian tradition, unless one is Orthodox and follows a different calendar, today is celebrated as Easter. It is observed as the day that Jesus is resurrected from the dead after having been hung on the cross until he died and then was buried.
Easter originated as an ancient pagan celebration of the spring equinox. This year Christian celebration of Easter also occurs during Passover when Jewish people commentate the escape from Egypt. Rabbi Benjamin Berger, vice president of Jewish education at Hillel International is quoted in USA Today as saying that Passover is known as the festival of freedom - “The freedom of all people.” (USA Today, April 4,2023, “What is Passover… by Mariana Pitofsky.
Easter this year also occurs during the month of Ramadan which is the celebration or remembrance of the revelation of the first verses of the Holy book Quran to the prophet Muhammad more than 1400 years ago.
Whether one is celebrating/commemorating spring - the rebirth of Mother Nature, the Christian Easter, the Jewish Passover, or the Muslim Ramadan one is, at some level, celebrating new life, new possibilities, and a new sense of freedom; freedom from the fear of death; from the fear that one will be imprisoned by one’s mind, another person or persons, an addiction or mental illness; freedom from oppression from one’s neighbor.
Sounds simple. First must come death; death of the lies we tell ourselves; death of the limits we place on ourselves and others; death of the lies or half-truths we tell ourselves about others; death of the illusion or delusion that our concept of God is the only possible right or true one; death of the need to control the reality of others whether that pertains to gender, when life begins and becomes sacred, pronoun identification, end of life decisions or other issues; death of the delusion of private ownership of more resources than one needs; death of the belief that we are in a position to judge others; death of the belief that imprisoning individuals and nations somehow leads to healing; death to the belief that hate is ever the answer.
After death comes the possibility of new life; fresh vision; new growth; a joyful dance celebrating who or what one is. As I am writing I am looking at Cherry tree blossoms, daffodils, and other signs of rebirth. I wait patiently for one of these life forms to complain about past death; death to come, their size, color, shape, smell, or any comparison to their neighbors. Nothing. I hear none of these complaints. These parts of nature truly know and accept the reality of death and resurrection. They are the wise teachers at whose feet we can sit today as the rabbits, squirrels, birds – all the creatures - celebrate with them and us.
Happy Easter. Happy Passover. Happy Ramadan. Happy spring.
Written April 9. 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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