Take Goethe's Word For It!

Happy Easter everyone! Yep, you can exhale now, the Lenten season has come to a close, and, as it always promises, we only strengthen a deeper friendship to our Lord and through much soul-searching and repentance we unravel more of our true nature and discover spring through our very hearts, which these forty days represent no matter how frigid the days, how torpid the skies, how relentless the winter winds may be, all things are possible and things again can be made new as spring is living proof of the rewards we are blessed with from grazing the fields and our spirits. This is one important reason why I believe spring is the most beautiful of all the seasons. It represents what faith can accomplish, and faith should be everyone’s middle name. If I ever have a daughter, I’d love to name her Faith, as my love for her, as with all children, will always be filled with faith that she will grow rich in love and, though there may be adversity, it will only make her more stronger and angelic as a girl!



Did you know that the Lenten season dates back well to possibly the third century? It always makes me feel so good to see that some things never change, especially the celebration of our Christ (or whatever name you choose to address the Holy Spirit). Originally the Lenten season was a time for the catechumens to prepare for their baptisms, and then it took on a whole new meaning at the end of the fourth century when it also became accepted as a time for the ritual of humiliation for every penitent.



Thus that is how the notion of the Lenten fasting experience as "dying to self" became known, and the liturgical value developed, one in which anyone, men, women, boys, girls, could participate fully in the renewal of life in the celebration of Christ’s rising. It used to only last for eight days, but it became forty, and though I still don’t exactly know why, I think it has something to do with what was written in the Lord’s temptation. Also, I believe Jesus was alone in the wilderness for forty days, so the Lenten season is almost like a ritual drama to me, in which we personify ourselves in the sandals of Jesus, as we are all faithful children of God who just need to rededicate ourselves. Ever so much I am reminded by John 6:60, 66, NIV "On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?'" From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.".



It deeply saddens me knowing that this indeed is a reality many of us face. You always see everyone on their best behavior, dressed up debonair, wearing a muscled smile, and claiming all is well, but that truly is a lie, as life is not always meant to be joyous (you’re probably laughing hearing that from someone optimistic like me, LOL!) but it is the truth. Faith is not something you get out of lying, faith is something you get out of the Truth. I think ever so much people believe if they lie saying they’re fine, they believe it breeds faith and then if done constantly, all the nightmares vanish into thin air. But if that’s true, then there wouldn’t be anything important behind the Incarnation, and THIS is why we celebrate this special holiday. Do you think Jesus was happy suffering from temptation? Do you think Jesus was happy starving and parched of thirst for so long? Do you think Jesus was happy being crucified on that cross? No, not at all, if anything, that was nothing but sorrow, agony and despair. But Jesus didn’t decide to confront all of this so that we wouldn’t have to experience them, He do all of this so He could teach us to take dignity in the little pains of life we may endure. We all indeed suffer. I have suffered in my childhood, I have listened to your stories of tears you’ve endured over the years, and no one can argue that I was miserable being abused and mistreated, but I also believe that those scars have helped me become the person I am today, capable of feeling the pity of others, and I take great dignity in the tears of blood I’ve shed. I also know NO ONE will ever fully comprehend the suffering Jesus experienced, for there will NEVER be an act of goodness that equals or even compares to that of Jesus, but we can be the best people we can become as possible, so I urge you all, if anything on this great day, to dignify your own tears and pains, then, through the edification, share your love to all those around you.



The exact same teachings of Easter are mirrored throughout our society as well. In ancient times there would always be lepers screaming "Unclean!" on the streets, encouraging all others to keep their distance and avoid becoming infected by the impurity also. If you seriously believe that we all have evolved since then and will never commit to such an puerile endeavor, open your eyes, that is EXACTLY what we’re doing each day. You may have never thought of it this way, but we do have lepers all throughout our society, social lepers albeit, who are saddened, all alone, who have faced their inner demons as well and, because they were rejected before, close their hearts to the rest of the world, screaming even to those who wish to help them, "Leave me alone!". They don’t scream that because they really want to be alone, they just fear they’ll be rejected again and go through the same cycle of heartache again. And it’s the same thing with the emotions we feel, we tend to tuck them away when it feels hopeless crawling under that person’s skin and kissing away their tears. Jesus, however, who was hungry, thirsty, cold, betrayal, loneliness, agony, sorrow, and ultimately, death, STILL gave His dignity to ever child of God.



I don’t know about you, but I find that not merely a miracle, but a blessing. How often do you see ANYONE experience virtually every known adversity of the world and STILL have the strength, STILL have the courage to say to every child, "Everything will be alright, my child, this I promise you?". It is incredible. He even gave the demoniac of the Gadarenes his dignity, which no other mortal ever did. The fact is, His suffering was His way to Glory, the Crucifixion the Way to Resurrection. We are all His friends and together we must accept life is joyous, but not only joyous, that we do experience these pains, so may we sympathetically join in fellowship with Christ (or however you address the Spirit) this very day, who now is guiding us with light and love above the heavens.



I feel if you understand just that during the Lenten season, then you have touched His greatness! Ash Wednesday was significant because it is a token of mourning, as in medieval times people would enter the church with dirty, naked feet and they would throw ashes from palm branches blessed the previous Palm Sunday over their heads, placing them on their foreheads in anointment to understand the suffering of others and seek growth through repentance. Maundy Thursday was essential as it commemorates the institution of the Holy Supper, and is the Day of Foot Washing. According to the revered words of the Gospel John 13: 14-15, "You also ought to wash one another’s feet,", it is a time to cleanse of oneself and love one another. As verse 34 is read, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another," as well as, the command of the Epistle, I Corinthians 11: 24-25, "This do in remembrance of Me.", this day is a valued day to me in my Catholic faith for every one of us to love each other in His name! Often on this day baskets are given to the poor, as honored by the Gospel teaching, "Mandatum novum do vobis," Then there’s Good Friday, in which we remember the crucifixion of Jesus, the “Day of the Lord’s Passion”. This is the day when redemption is made, and we mourn Him, in which there is three days of darkness and silence, until this very day, where we celebrate His return, a return of His love, a Love immortal and true.



God Bless You all this very day, and for all of you who have children, share the blessings of this day to every one of them. Candidly, I can say that I do not consider the Easter bunny a lie. Though I agree it has become treated as another deadly commerical widget, the bunny has its value too. As early as the 1500’s in Germany, the bunny has been a symbol of Easter and the Easter Bunny tradition began in the 1800’s. In the 1700’s, the Americans were introduced to the tradition the moment the Pennsylvania Dutch shipped to shore, with many young children anxiously and ebullient for Oschter Haws and his gifts. Asian and Eurasian cultures depict him as a messenger of life, the Celtics as a symbol of fertility and new life, and the Germans as the giver of new life each spring.



So Easter is also treated to me like the gateway to spring, with all of life re-awakening and singing again in concordance. No one is necessarily lying here. The eggs are a symbol of fertility, like the hatching of baby birds each April and May! The decorations of the eggs well represent the colors and blessings the spring offers us, how we intuitively earmark the blessings God bestows upon us all, and celebrating the diversity of life, from polished, tumbled marbled eggs to Ukrainian Pysanki eggs, made from melted beeswax and many different dyes. The Greeks dye their eggs red to symbolize the most precious blood of Christ, the Germans and Austrians dye theirs green on Maundy Thursday to represent the Last Supper, and Armenians even paint religious images and icons on theirs. Polish girls even used to send them to their loved ones to represent their feelings to a loved one, as the fertility meaning behind the egg avows.



All of the other symbols of Easter well imbue with the Easter traditions. The Easter basket originated from the Catholic custom of bringing Easter food to mass to be blessed, with the Pennsylvania Dutch inspiring the “rabbit’s nest” straw and tinsel. The bells represent the light of the world, and they’d sound all year until Maundy Thursday, to sound again on Easter after a time of mourning and celebrating His return, also representing every equinox and solstice too, when a small time when they won’t ring, it is a period of silence to reflect on the past seasons and when they begin clanging again it celebrates light coming back into the world. The Easter lily, or Candidum Lily, represents purity, chastity and innocence, and is the symbol of the Resurrection and Easter because it flowers from what seems as a lifeless bulb, also the symbol of fertility among Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures and the symbol of the Virgin Mary. The cross and the sheep represent new life. And then, there’s the Lenten wreath, made of rose vines and thistle, which represents the "Crown of Thrones' placed upon our Lord's head by Pontius Pilate when he mockingly proclaimed Him to be "The King of the Jews", with those six white candles representing the six weeks of Lent, one black candle that is lit on Good Friday, and three nails of the nails used to place Christ upon the cross.

So never believe you lied to your child about there being an Easter bunny. The Easter bunny is in us all, as we are all hoppity-hopping about spreading new life and joy among one another.



(giggles) For me, every day I want to nurture my inner-child. G.K Chesterson says, "Happy is he who still loves something he loved in the nursery: He has not been broken in two by time; he is not two men, but one, and he has saved not only his soul but his life." I almost consider “man” to be a blunt, gruff, lackadaisical, crotchety, hog-tying, rather dirty word sometimes. Ever so often men are stereotyped as expected to be strong, stern, rigid, and stiff-necked, and I believe strength is a value, but men should always never be afraid to share their emotions too, and ever so often I see those who are deadpan, poker-faced, stony-eyed, thick-skinned, or, just simply, emotionless. I just have to say to myself, "When I grow up, I want to be a boy forever!". Boys too are being taught not to cry and become men too early, but I believe what Friedrich Nietzsche said, saying, "In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play." And that’s just what I want to do; give the boy in my heart a hug each day and hold his little hand each step of the way. "Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do". I believe in this always, which applies especially today in a time where all you see on newspaper headlines and MSNBC is the war on terrorism and fears of possible terrorism attacks each day. That is not what our children should be hearing. Instead, we should take Goethe’s word for it and ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste again, yay! :)



So I beg of you, now that the spring has come, don’t take what it has to offer for granted. Embrace your inner-child, go outside and toss Frisbees, do the Watusi, at least go on a walk around your neighborhood every once in a while. The admission is free for this cosmic zoo, so take advantage of the time! Believe me, Christ wants it that way for every one of us! Don’t forget all He endured compared to every one of us, yet He still smiled seeing the children. :)

God Bless You All, and...namaste!

XOXO,
Noah Eaton
(Mistletoe Angel)
(Emmanuel Endorphin)