As the world celebrates the Easter holiday, may we pause to reflect on the importance of compassion and forgiveness as the two critical reasons for Easter season?
The original meaning of Easter
Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the death of Christ on Good Friday and Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. The word “Easter” originates from the pagan goddess Eostre of England, associated with fertility and springtime.
The First Council of Nicaea was held in 325 to clarify the date for the Easter celebration worldwide. After that, the ancient Christian Church resolved to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the Spring Equinox after the first full moon.
The date changes yearly- it can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. So, for example, in 2022, Easter will be celebrated on April 17 and April 9 in 2023.
Why do we celebrate Easter?
The Easter holiday is celebrated worldwide as a Christian religious holiday to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is one of the most important holidays in Christianity.
That is because the resurrection of Christ from the dead is the most robust foundation for the Christian church as it signifies Christ’s defeat of death and the eternal hope of salvation.
The reasons for Easter season
Jesus preached about love, compassion, and forgiveness during his earthly ministry. Also, he gave hope to those who had lost hope, showing them a better way.
The importance of compassion
The English Dictionary defines compassion as the “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.”
This Easter season allows both Christians and others to be compassionate to the plights of others. But we also need to practice self-compassion.
Even as the COVID19 Pandemic, wars and disasters ravage our world, there are several ways to show compassion.
Few examples of compassion.
- Offer of support: if you see someone struggling, offer them support by empathetic listening or giving them an encouraging word.
- Acts of generosity: giving your money or time to those doing it tough. Some examples include donations to courses that assist those affected by the current war in Ukraine, severe flooding in Australia, and poverty.
- Sponsorship of deprived children in Third World countries through Compassion Australia, UNICEF or other agencies.
- Contributing to programs for the conservation of wildlife and against global warming.
- Contributing to animal rescue and adoption programs
The importance of forgiveness
Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.
Henry Emerson Fosdick
The importance of forgiveness is so great that Jesus Christ admonished us in the Bible to forgive not once or seven times but a whopping seventy-seven times!
Forgiveness is not just an act of self-love but also love for the person you are forgiving. It can be a gift and blessing for those who need it and offer it.
Components of forgiveness
Forgiveness is vital because it helps people move past the mistakes of others. It enables us to let go of our bitterness and resentment toward those who have hurt us.
Please consider the following components of forgiveness
- Self-forgiveness: Forgive yourself for your imperfections and past mistakes
- Seek forgiveness from those whom you’ve hurt
- Forgive and forget the hurts of others
When we hate our enemies, we are giving them power over us: power over our sleep, our appetites, our blood pressure, our health, and our happiness. Our enemies would dance with joy if only they knew how they were worrying us, lacerating us, and getting even with us! Our hate is not hurting them at all, but our hate is turning our own days and nights into a hellish turmoil.
Dale Carnegie
Why do we celebrate Easter with an egg hunt?
The Easter egg hunt is a tradition that has been around for a long time. It is thought to have originated in France, where they would hide eggs in gardens and have children find them.
Eggs were often a symbol of fertility, rebirth, and life. The egg hunt was initially played by adults and children together. Still, it became more of an activity for the children by decorating the eggs in colourful ribbons or strings to make them easier to find.
In recent years, chocolate “eggs” have replaced eggs as hunting items—prevalent culture, especially in the West.
To Recap
Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the death of Christ on Good Friday and Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is one of the most important holidays in Christianity.
Compassion and forgiveness are two of the critical reasons for the Easter season, as Jesus did a lot of teachings on them during his earthly ministry.
We can all practise compassion for others through offers of support, acts of generosity, and sponsorship of deprived children. Also, by wildlife conservation and animal rescue efforts.
It is also essential to forgive yourself for your inadequacies and those who hurt you.
What does the Easter season mean for you, and which of the two concepts would you adopt?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Please leave your comments below, or let’s continue the discussion on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Linkedin.
Thanks for your time.
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