Writer’s Rant
April 16, 2025
Its All About Grace
*note: this blog will be rejected by some of the groups I normally post on, due to the subject matter: Religion. Also note that I don’t pretend to be an authority on Christendom or a bible scholar. This is from one lay person’s perspective!
The most important Christian holiday is almost upon us. The celebration actually began almost 40 days ago on Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. It’s kind of like New Year’s when we all make new year’s resolutions. There are several differences;\ though: mainly, who we are doing it for. Resolutions serve ourselves; We give up things for lent to honor God. Let’s consider the overall success rate of both. Based on my own experience, I have had much more success giving up something for lent than I have on New Year’s. Could it be due to a higher power?
The season of lent ends with the evening mass of the Last Supper, also known as Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday, by most Christian Denominations. The word Maundy comes from the Latin word “mandatum,” which means “commandment.” This day is named after Jesus’ commandment to his disciples to love one another. He demonstrates the importance of humility and service by washing their feet.
After Maundy Thursday comes Holy Friday, better known as “Good Friday”. By all accounts, it wasn’t such a good day for Jesus. There is logic of course for the nomenclature. Holy (Friday) simply means sacred… which also means GOOD. It was called Good Friday because this is the holy time that we commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. This is the time that Jesus accepted all our sins to save mankind from eternal death.
And this is where grace happens. It was recently explained to me the difference between mercy and grace. When we ask for mercy, we ask for forgiveness. However, Grace comes freely. In His mercy, God does not give us punishment we deserve, namely hell; while in His grace, God gives us the gift we do not deserve, namely heaven. Mercy and grace are the utmost attributes of love.
So then comes Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection; the most important Christian holiday. It demonstrates through Jesus, victory over death, and the grace available to all who accept the gift.
Now for the real question. What does Easter have to do with bunnies and eggs? For Christians, the answer is simple: “absolutely nothing.” The more human side of the story is this: The Easter bunny and Easter eggs originated as pagan symbols of spring and rebirth. Over the centuries, these ancient symbols became associated with the Christian holiday of Easter and the two traditions have merged together to become what we celebrate today.
So then, Happy Easter. May your days be filled with grace and your plastic eggs filled with cold cash.
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