"Everyday..."

I don't know how to celebrate easter.

Easter. What does that mean?

Lets see:

1. An annual Christian festival in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox [....]

Origins: Before 900, Ester, Ostern; original name of a goddess and her festival; akin to East.

Thank you dictionary.com. 

Goo.

So where are the bunnies, and the pastel colors, and....oh, and the plethora of chocolates?

I get so confused as to how we can associate the resurrected God/man and peeps.

Now before you get all defensive on how easter egg hunts are for the children to enjoy the holiday, let me explain where I am going.

Yesterday was Sunday, and this week is Passion week.

Yesterday was the Sunday in which Christ makes his "triumphal entry," making it Palm Sunday, the day he enters the town he is to be convicted in with crowds and crowds of people laying down their cloaks and branches of palms and trees in front of his path in adoration. Yeah, adoration.

Today is Monday. 

The Monday of Jesus' eventful week he overturns the tables full of money and drives out the men exchanging coins and pigeons in the temple.

He tells everyone, quoting  an Isaiah scripture: " 'My house is a house of prayer,' and you make it a den of robbers."

During the same time, Jesus "curses" a fig tree he wanted to eat from but had no fruit on its branches to take.

He wasn't mad at it, he didn't even take offense that this plant, in his presence, didn't automatically sprout figs to provide for his hunger.

But he does it anyway and does it to show his followers that the religiously blind will never amount to anything for themselves, just like that fig tree.

What I found more interesting is that he spoke of prayer in both separate events, just as much as he talked about the Pharisees who were going to wither away like the perfectly fine fig tree who wasn't even in season to produce its fruit.

Prayer is one of the first things Jesus talks about during his week in Jerusalem before he dies.

I don't know how to celebrate Easter, mainly because my family was never into doing what American's do on this day, and when we got the hint, we started to hide plastic eggs in our backyard for my younger sisters, (and sometimes myself... hey, i like chocolate too.)

I have found that Passion week is more intense than we believe it is. 

And that Easter is a much more profound culmination of events than we make it to be.

I love easter, its beautiful, and I have always enjoyed the small get-togethers and moments of laughter and peace on these Sundays with both friends and family.

But I must confess, I just don't know.