Easter 2025 Musings

This Easter was very reflective for me. This Easter Vigil was the first time I went to Easter Mass at the new church here in our new town.

The church was old, and looked like a giant barn from the 1960s, not exactly similar to the beautiful cathedrals of downtown Toronto. But it was absolutely packed full of people. I was very lucky and got one of the last seats in the house, though I was prepared to stand the whole two hours.

The readings this Easter were about Moses taking the people out of Egypt, and through the Red Sea. This famous passage is something I always take something different from.  

 What stood out to me was the tambourine and the column of fire and smoke.  The joy of the woman Miriam, the prophetess, and the wife of Aaron, takes up the tambourine at the joy of their emancipation. The very real joy of the present moment, not tarnished by the future upcoming, of which there would be many tears, nor the sadness of the past, but only the joy of victory.

And this passage in particular in Exodus:

And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, ²⁵ clogging^[c] their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

In our version it was called 'the pillar of fire and smoke' and I just thought about that, about the fear of something great that can extinguish all life, but instead is leading people away from a life of slavery.  But it was a symbol of great power, of something mysterious and luminous, that defies the natural order of men and kings and armies.  

I also found it mildly amusing that their chariot wheels got clogged.

In the face of great inevitable power, what are we? We are only someone trying to flee the wrath of nature and the man or woman who is our enemy.  And there's no promise of an easy life once we've left a life of oppression. There are only questions, and a sort of natural human nagging and annoyance that we traded a safe life under oppression for a life in the wilderness and the desert.

But I found the two images kind of arrested me: the tambourine, the pillar of smoke and fire. The overwhelming sheer power, the joy and freedom.  Joy and dancing, beside that which is mysterious to us.

 

   

 

Easter 2022

A late posting of my Easter 2022 post.

 

This year's Easter message that stuck with me is 'Look at the day the Lord has made.'  Today we exist, and we exist to make each day a day filled with goodness and happiness.

As I reflect on the war in Ukraine, the worldwide disasters that continue to cause hardships, I think about the fact that I am lucky to be safe, to live somewhere safe from many of the harms that currently exist.

The celebrations throughout the world of traditions of faith during this month, I hope for blessings for all those who see the sun shine today.  Some hopes for the future:

• I hope for a world that can grow and be healthy, that humans might lessen their impact on the world
  
• I hope for world peace, peace amongst people who need it
• I hope for an end to the climate crisis, which will affect all the children growing today, all the young people today.

 

This Easter was special for me, in that it was a year that looked towards the future.  For me personally I hope for new things, better things for 2022-23.

A Lenten reflection on sacrifice

 God, may Your light guide my day, and your spirit bring me peace. Amen.

-Lenten prayer

 

“Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

Job 42: 1-6

 

In Lent, Catholics make an effort to sacrifice.  When we say sacrifice, I think most people think it means to give up little things (or big things) in an effort to orient ourselves towards God.  This practice is so important as part of yearly Christian formation: because at the root of good spiritual practice is discipline.  And without discipline, there is very little relationship to be found with God.

When I was young, there were many cartoons, media, etc. that talked about the end of the world.  On those signs it always said "REPENT, the end is near!"  (Which is an odd stance in some ways, if everything is ending, it's like trying to do your homework at 12am before it's due the next day)  

Repentance, in the Lenten tradition, is not about asking for forgiveness at the last moment (though that is more than acceptable in the Catholic and Christian tradition, which is good).  Repentance is about right thought, right action, right orientation towards that which is divine.  And in our case, as Christians, orienting ourselves towards the divine course corrects many problems that arise through normal life.

 Ordinary Christians cannot move the waves of the world, nor is a triumphant return by fire desirable.  The way of the common Christian requires dedication and reflection, forgiveness and humility.  There is a reason that the path to heaven is called 'the narrow path.' It is very easy to slide into patterns that are bad for us and those that love us.

 Lent is a time of remembering the importance of taking away, so that what may be filled, is something better, and more appropriate.  

 

Easter in 2020: Easter in Exile

This Easter is special in many ways...a special sounding year, that was supposed to have a different meaning, that was supposed to mean something different for Christians around the globe. Instead, we are all staying home, afraid of what is to come, both in the world and afraid for our own mortality because of an invisible enemy, that we do not understand, and cannot really fight.We are in exile from the world we used to have, mere months ago.

In the same way, Jesus' resurrection and the Easter story is one of fear, confinement, confusion and sadness. The disciples were expecting a messiah, someone who was a political hero in Jewish history, in human history, to rewrite the story that Roman culture had created. Instead, his best friends, watched him punished and killed in one of the most shameful ways, tortured, mobbed, and finally crucified. Not exactly the way any of us would wish to die.

After Jesus died, his followers were a target. They were locked away in small rooms, hiding from the authorities...and it was a miracle that saved them, not any political act. From Acts of the Apostles:

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³

Until they received grace and gifts from God, there was nothing they could do. Everything after that moment, however, was like reading a book about super heroes. They could speak in all languages, they healed the sick in God's name, they did many good deeds and were not afraid.

This is not to say that they lived the way that super heroes lived. Many early Christians were crucified, beaten to death, stoned to death, died for others. Regardless of what some people might say, Christianity is not triumphalism, it is not a triumph of goodness over bad people, bad things, bad moments, over tragedy.  Christianity only outlines in a stronger relief that what already exists.

Jesus changed our relationship with God...he was not here to make the world a perfect better place, but to change our relationship with the world. We are no longer bound by the Old Testament, but we are bound and freed by a new sense of baptism, indeed a baptism of fire, to recognize the good that is in the world, to make anew that which already exists. We recognize the importance of the ten commandments, but they cannot replace the beatitudes. Rules still exist, but first love.  Sin is still present, but first grace.  In Easter, in this pandemic world, is a reorientation to that which exists.

Jesus is for Christians, the bridge across to a new kind of relationship with the divine, and within such, as a great priest once said, we are called brothers and sisters in Christ now, and not just followers. Jesus' resurrection is a sacrifice that brings us into a new relationship with God.

Christians are losers first, and we follow someone who lost everything in an act that is hard to understand. And not through the fire of revolution, but through the fire of the Holy Spirit.  Even if we have a vaccine, we cannot bring back those we have lost. Let us pray for those still here, for those who have gone before us, for those trying to bring peace to our world in their own way.

An Easter Miracle?

VOW: Evil Easter Bunny

For your viewing pleasure--what the Easter Bunny is really like during the rest of the year. I've seen this several times, not sure if I've shared it with you, but go ahead and watch. I'm sure you'll like it.

Happy Easter

Well, for your viewing pleasure, I have FINALLY started using Photoshop, and boy, what a difference. Man this is a powerful program. I can do things now in one click I didn't even realize. BONUS! To commemorate said occasion, here are two special wallpapers...I couldn't decide which I liked best...could you maybe let me know??? In the comments?? Please???? I like the small bunny because smaller is better, but I also like the big bunny because, well, because that was probably what took the longest, and I hate to lose the detail, even if it is bad! Sigh. Be aware these are large files. =)

Anyways, it is Easter, and this is a very important time for Christians, and as a Catholic it's super huge. It is a massive time of change, it is the time of change for the better. Somebody just died, but if you're not careful, you'll miss the punchline. Easter is a happy time because it is the beginning of spring and the beginning of new life, physically and religiously the end of a season of death. For me this year, my focus is now on looking towards to the end of the season of death, which I guess we would call sin, and look towards goodness, inner strength and peace, and forwards to the rising of the dead, from old life to new life. Easter is the time for change, so if there is something in your life which needs changing, fixing, or deliberating on, now is the perfect time. Nothing will last forever, which will always be a reason to celebrate and a reason to cry. But while we're still alive, we have a chance to be a little closer to who we really want to be.

Take the time to change.

Easter Hi-jinks

I just thought I would post some Easter pictures for you people! =D







This season, I made easter gift bags for my friends that I live with and Ralph. They turned out rather nicely, I must say. This are the ones I made for my friends. This time I thought I would be very multi-cultural, and say "Happy Easter" in Spanish and Dutch. While Easter is not such a happy time as in the rest of the Western world, Montse really liked it that I put "Pascua feliz" on her card, and Willem and Patrick got "Gelukkige Pasen," or something similar on theirs. I put something different on Willem's card, but I don't remember the exact phrase anymore. Anyways, they turned out really nice, I thought. I'm definitely not Martha Stewart, but it's amazing what you can do with wrapping paper. ;)





Next, I hid everyone's chocolate bunnies around the house. It was fun.











Montse and Patrick are searching for their bunnies.












Oh! Montseratt found hers. It was behind the mircowave. (Too easy???)


















Patrick is still searching for his bunny.















Where could it be?

















Montseratt is laughing to herself because she knows where Patrick's bunny is!









Is it in here???







Yes it is!!






Victory tastes sweet!



Next, Ralph's present I had to do while he was 'not in the room, and I had to be super sneaky about it. I even had time to take a picture. I'm like a SPY, I AM. I didn't wrap this one because I was running out of time. Give a guy a break, eh?









Next, I recieved some AMAZINGLY NEAT STUFF FROM MY PARENTS WHO I LOVE TO DEATH. Honestly, I don't know how they know what I like sometimes.






This is my hippo friend. He doesn't have a name yet. ISN'T HE SO CUTE????? I go into eclectic fits of talking to it when I look at it. Not for the faint of heart to witness.






This is Willem looking like a Greek. He's trying to help me name my hippo friend. He suggested:

Gorbachev (Or maybe that was me)
Joss (Not sure of the spelling, just spelling it like it sounds, a Belgian name)
Mortimer
Vladimir
Vladimir Putin
Raoul (Since he does have a pink bow, after all)
Mao (Which I firmly rejected)
and several other good suggestions which I have since forgotten. (Am taking suggestions)






I also received a wealth of herbal remedies and...er, a fung shei energizing crystal??? OK Mom, I get the hint. I'll get more sleep. Sorry I got sick. Ay-yay-yay. Along with this, of course, I got tons and tons of candy, all of which...was shoved up the hippo's butt. HILARIOUS.


Now, for the coup de resistance which is...dun dun dun...







YES!!!!!! AN NES CONTROLLER BELT BUCKLE!!!!!!!! I did cartwheels when I saw this with the belt I got, also as a present. Wow, I just can't believe my parents FOUND this somewhere. Totally amazing...I really like this, and plan to wear it to all my fancy occasions, maybe I'll wear it to my thesis defence...everyone needs a conversation piece. If things are going badly, I could be like, "Hey, you know, I also think I made a fallicious argument, but hey, look at my belt buckle! Shiny AND kitschy!" (You know what they say, if you can't dazzle them figuratively, might as well do it literally.) Willem also learned a new term in english: belt buckle. Crazy, eh? It's so funny because I've been wanting one of these forever and a day, and I can't believe my parent's got one for me. You guys are great.


Well, that's all I have time for, but I just really want to thank my family for all the really great Easter gifts, it really made my week, especially now that I'm sick...again. Yeah. Sad, but true. But, still living it up. So, thanks to my family, I love you guys, happy easter to everyone, yet again. I just love saying that because easter is such a big time of the year for me. I'll update you when something interesting happens.