Easter is the second most important date on the Christian calendar. Christmas is the first.
The Easter holiday is about the resurrection and life as embodied by the death and rebirth of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes the meaning and message of Easter gets lost in all the chocolate bunnies, Easter egg hunts and stuffed rabbits.
The biggest message from Easter is that it is about life, death and eternal life. And having faith in an almighty being.
Jesus gave up everything to suffer with man. He endured wrath, scorn, grief and death so that all men could enjoy God’s friendship. He also gave his life so that man could live and enter the Kingdom of God.
Easter’s message this year is one of hope and optimism.
As Pope Benedict XVI said in his Palm Sunday homily, the underlying message of Easter is the shared destiny of humanity. “Here we find the first great message that today’s feast brings us: The invitation to adopt a proper outlook upon all humanity, on the people who make up the world, on its different cultures and civilizations.”
That message of remains as strong today as it did at the time of Christ. Easter is not just a time when children enjoy chocolates and paint eggs, but a time of reflection on how we live our lives and our communion with God.
Easter is a good time to remember just how great our country is and what it stands for. And to be proud that we have the freedoms we have.