WHAT’S WITH EASTER, ANYWAY?

First off, WHY is it a thing?

Easter is a thing because the Christian Church says it is.

The Christian Church says that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on the the eve of the Passover (Jesus’s last supper) and on the morning of the third day after that, he appeared in flesh again to his disciples.

This has evolved into Good Friday (commemoration of the crucifixion) and Easter Sunday (commemoration of the resurrection).

Put as crudely as possible –

The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth establishes him, for Christians, as the Son of God – the incarnation of God on earth.

Jesus is therefore the messiah: the liberator of the people.

What is he liberating us from? From our sins. He died for our sins, so we don’t have to. All we have to do to get to heaven is to believe in him as this messiah.

I used to be Christian. But after lots and lots of research and discussion with Christian clergy and personal spiritual experiences, I have come to the proper understanding of the crucifixion.

Jesus of Nazareth is the best example we have of how we can die to the illusion of the ego and the flesh and be reborn as pure Spirit; Pure Love.

He did it literally to show us that we ALL can. We can all do it every day. We don't have to be physically crucified and bring ourselves back into flesh, but we just have to dissolve the illusions of fear and accept the reality of Love to be enlightened and at peace.

So, I don’t celebrate “Easter”, but I do live the truth of the crucifixion and resurrection every day.

And I really like the Christian hymns, so I do listen to them on Good Friday and Easter.

And while I listen, I thank Jesus for his service; for his example - and I welcome the words as metaphor. Christianity is a bit of a gothic death fetish party sometimes, and I can dig that.

Here is one of my favorites - Miserere Mei, Deus (The Miserere) by Gregorio Allegri. It was composed probably during the 1630s, for use in the Sistine Chapel during matins, as part of the exclusive Tenebrae service on Holy Wednesday and Good Friday of Holy Week.