Remember The Hope of Victory that Easter Stands For

Whilst in these challenging times we are all physically isolated, it is critical that we remember what Easter represents even if you are not religious.

I have been bought up a Catholic and in my Catechism classes I learned that at Easter, we commemorated Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death. To me this really meant Jesus’ victory over death, victory over what was wrong in the world and a time to remember and celebrate His teachings.

However, Easter did not always represent Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The naming of the celebration as “Easter” seems to go back to the name of a pre-Christian goddess in England, Eostre, who was celebrated at the beginning of spring.

The feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. The only reference to this pagan Saxon goddess comes from the writings of the Venerable Bede, a monk who lived in the late seventh and early eighth century. As religious studies scholar Bruce Forbes said:

“Bede wrote that the month in which English Christians were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus had been called Eosturmonath in Old English, referring to a goddess named Eostre. And even though Christians had begun affirming the Christian meaning of the celebration, they continued to use the name of the goddess to designate the season.”

Let this Easter be about celebrating a new beginning, a time of hope and of gratitude.

Look at this time as an opportunity to do the things you always wanted to do, but never had the time:

• Read that book you’ve been wanting to get to.
• Paint with your kids.
• Bake hot cross buns.
• Try Dr Cat’s Chilli Mussels.
• Enjoy sunsets and yoga on the beach…respecting social distancing of course!

For me, it has been a time to get back to daily yoga and meditation and enjoy more sunsets with my husband.

It’s also a time of just being grateful for the country we live in and particularity for living in the great city of Perth, one of the most isolated cities in the world.

Don’t forget that Easter is an excuse to eat as much chocolate as possible, however, always remember to brush and floss your teeth after, as we are still in Level 3 restrictions and we are still deferring the regular hygiene scale and clean appointments to June for now.

Stay safe and Have a Blessed Easter!

 

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