Happy Easter

Or, for non-Christians, happy celebration period that occurs in Spring, however you might practice it.

Despite not being Christian, I have fond memories of Easter. It was a big deal in our family.There were traditions they had brought from the old country that were important and tied us to our roots a little more firmly - important in a country without too many roots of its own.

Of course it was a big deal at my Catholic school too, being the holiest of holy days. Even though I was one of those outsider children who was not Catholic (always a bit of a puzzle to my classmates) I watched the rituals leading up to the ultimate day with interest.I may have even participated more intently than my peers, because they had to. For me it was something else, a chance to witness something alien but supremely important,carried out with utmost reverence. The sense of being part of the highest of high ritual magic pervaded everything. That is what the Mass is of course, even if no one calls it that. An formal ritual drawing down the spirit into bread for the participants to consume is undoubtedly a magic one.

I can comprehend the meaning of the sacrifice as presented in the Gospels. I can understand the joy that would follow finding that your leader had miraculously risen from the dead, thus proving that he was indeed the son of god. I've always found the story of the women at the tomb touching and meaningful. I also know that Jesus was not the only one who had followed this pattern, nor has such a story. It's no less respectable for that - the story of Jesus' death and resurrection is connected to more ancient roots. These stories and attending rituals clearly have a deep significance, whether as proof of a living god or as a symbol of the earth coming back to life.