by Brett Manero
Spring is the best time of year – for me, anyway. Warm air is arriving, new life is budding, and signs of resurrection abound. What a perfect time of year to celebrate the most significant event to happen in human history: the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In our present year of 2025 AD – the era of Jesus Christ – Easter is celebrated later this year (in the Western tradition, that is). April 20 is the Western date of Easter this year. Today is April 11 and Holy Week has not even begun yet, and the weather in Colorado (where this writer currently is) is warm and sunny.
It is rather fitting that Easter is celebrated during the spring months – in the northern hemisphere, anyway. Jesus Christ was born, lived, died, and resurrected in Judea-Palestine, in the northern hemisphere. The Jewish holiday upon which Easter is built is, of course, Passover, which is likewise celebrated during the spring months. God not only has a great sense of humor, but He also has a tremendously brilliant sense of time and seasons: it was providential that His Son would redeem us during the spring months, when life is all the more apparent in the arrival of new leaves, flowers, and in human beings, a new sense of joy.
In my previous post, I wrote about the cross of depression, and how much it affects daily life and daily pleasures. Depression strikes at any time of the year, including the happier months of spring. But at least one can take pleasure in simple joys like the new signs of life that are all around.
Sometimes, it is the simple joys and pleasures that gets one through the day, and allows one to carry his or her cross with dignity.
As we enter into Holy Week, let us remember that despite the scandal of death that is still present in our world, Our Lord has gone before us and has already conquered death. And, He has left us a constant reminder of this in every single arrival of spring.
Leave a Reply