Is Easter a Pagan Holiday?

Easter is mistakenly considered pagan by some because of the use of the word ‘Easter‘. 

At prima facie, it appears as if the word  is borrowed from the pagan diety ‘Ishtar‘  or the lesser known ‘Eostre’ or ‘ Astarte’.

Add to that symbols like Easter eggs, bunnies, baby chicks etc don’t do a great job in representing the Resurrection of Jesus.

But that is not the case.

The word  ‘Easter’ used by Christians in the English speaking world is linked to the Resurrection of Christ but because it overlaps with similar sounding words in certain  pagan cultures whose celebration co-incide around the time of the Jewish passover it is presumed that Easter has ‘pagan’ roots and nothing to do with the Resurrection of Christ and thus the confusion.

The word Easter made its way in the English language from Proto- Germanic *Austron meaning, – dawn”. From *aust-, east, toward the sunrise.

Significance of East:

We believe when Christ returns in the Second Coming he will come from the East. As Jesus himself said “as lightinging goes from east to west so shall the return of the son of man be”

According to Venerable Bede, Anglo-Saxon Christians adopted the name ‘Easter’ and many of the celebratory practices for their Mass of Christ’s Resurrection.  Easter signifies : New sun rise.

While it’s strongly recommendable for Catholics to use the word – ‘pasch’ as it comes from (new) passover to refer to the Resurrection of the Lord as it is done in the romance languages.

There is nothing wrong in using the word ‘Easter’ as it is ancient and traditional and especially if you know what you are referring to.  Use of the word does not necessarily mean you are referencing the pagan goddesses.

Easter- New Sunrise – Passover

The timing of Easter is closely related to the timing of  the Jewish ‘Passover’

Jesus was crucified on the day of  Passover.

In Hebrew, the word for Passover is  ‘Pesakh’ in Greek and Latin it was called ‘Pascha’ and the early Christians who spoke Greek and Latin began to use the word ‘Pascha’ to describe the feast of  Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As Latin, is the language of the church you will find church documents referring to Easter as ‘Pascha’ which eventually passed on to the Romance languages as mentioned earlier. For example, in Spanish Easter is referred to as ‘Pascua’ and in French ‘paques’

The Evolution of the term in the romance languages and the languages spoken by the early Christians prove that ‘Easter’ what we call in English is a celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord and is not pagan.

“To put it simply; without the Resurrection there is no Christianity” – CS. Lewis.

Happy Easter!!!
¡Feliz Páscoa!

A Reflection on 2 Chronicles 7:13-14

Posts like the one above have been doing the rounds over the internet and I must admit, I too shared the post on my instagram status: @les.menezes last week.

Later, I published an apology statement for sharing the post (previously) with my reflections on the Biblical Old Testament passage : 2 Chronicles 7:13-14.

My Reflection…

The verse in isolation has a lot of problems and can inspire all sorts of negative and false interpretations, not to mention panic and perhaps even doubt in God. The verse out of context contradicts the loving and merciful nature of God as revealed in and through Jesus Christ.

While part of the message of the verse is a calling for repentance from sin and getting one’s relationship right with God – which is true and important. And is actually the intended message of the writer. The verse by itself does not represent who God really is.  Needless to say, the Science (about the events) is obviously not true however, Old Testament biblical writers’ explanations were never meant to be Scientific. (Neither is my reflection of the verse a scientific one). The point is there are many factors needed to be considered to understand the text of such passages.

The Old Testament writers had a way of explaining that God caused all things. So, factors like culture, history, social context, the age in which it was written etc. all need to be considered first. Now it is true these verses were God inspired but they were expressed freely by human authors whose way of writing had their own limitations. God inspired them to write from where they were in their overall development. For a text to be inspired it does not necessarily have to understand the mind of God perfectly. Also, the Old testament is better understood in the light of the New testament.

God is Sovereign and Holy and cannot be the cause of anything evil. Evil is the complete opposite of who God is. God has ordained natural laws for the natural world and when the laws of nature are violated there are natural consequences (Natural evil). Natural disasters are not directly willed by God for us but he allows them to take place as a result of a consequence. Nonetheless, in his divine plan he uses such events to draw people closer to him. Because he is the source of true life and happiness. For a better understanding of Locusts Swarm Attack click here. 

The verse taken out of context can also lead one to erroneously believe that if you follow the ways of God you will be assured material prosperity.  For the believer, God’s blessing in our lives and our undertaking is important but our hearts must be in the right place. You love God because he is most worthy and deserving of your love (and you were made for him.) Not because you want to get things from him. You will anyways, never out do him in generosity. 

Lastly, deciding to make our relationship right with God is extremely important. And we can do so by giving him glory through all that we do. We are called to be stewards of creation and we have a responsibility to protect and care for our environment. Let us do our bitwhile we pray for God’s kingdom to reign on earth. 

 

The meaning of Good Friday and Easter for Christians

Growing up in a Catholic family, I learned many aspects about my faith but understood little. Jesus, of course, being the central figure – the most important aspect emphasised was that he died for my sins and for the sins of the whole of humanity.

Fast forward to my rebellious adolescent years and I discovered the Agnostic within me. Telling me that someone called Jesus died for my sins nearly 20 centuries before I even came into existence didn’t make sense to me. And if at all he was crucified, how did my sins do it? I was not even born then. These and other aspects of my faith I barely understood. Let alone fathoming the Most Holy Trinity.

But God had his own way of bringing his truth to me. And as C. S. Lewis put it, “pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world “

Like anyone, I had my own ‘crosses’ to carry in life and when I felt overwhelmed by their weight, I turned to Jesus ( while being an Agnostic) and told him “alright, you win, I lose what do you want from me… ?”

This led to many more conversations but how these conversations were going to transform my life.  Boy! I never saw it coming.

To make a long story short… a beautiful and powerful experience of the very person of Jesus (during a Catholic Mass in April 2008-), his unconditional love and healing led to a change of heart and renewal of mind and soul at the age of 20 and since then there was no turning back.

The meaning of Good Friday…

On Good Friday, Christians commemorate the passion, suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

So why did Jesus have to die for our sins?

Note: Jesus did not die because he was powerless, but he made himself powerless (temporarily) because of the unimaginable love he has for each of us.

God is the highest and most supreme being in existence. His nature is TO BE.

Any act of sin against him merits a punishment that corresponds to God’s stature and nature. God is Eternal, Infinite, Almighty etc.

So even one grevious offence against him means that offence merits punishment and that punishment is satisfied when that punishment is infinite in nature – what we understand namely as ‘Hell’.

God is infinitely perfect in all his qualities. He is infinitely Just which means he is JUSTICE himself. He is also infinitely merciful which means he is MERCY himself. He is infinitely wise which means he is WISDOM himself. God who is infinitely Just, would not extend his infinite Mercy without satisfying his infinite justice.

On the other hand, Man being a finite creature could in no way make reparation (on his own) to God’s justice except through an infinite and eternal punishment.

So what now?

God whose very nature is LOVE (he has revealed himself as Love) created us for himself to be sharers in his glory. That means he created us to be with him forever. BUT He gave us a freewill, so we could freely choose him but we could also freely reject him. To LOVE is to do so FREELY.

Naturally, our choices have consequences.

All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. All of us have fallen short of perfect love.

An earthly court that values Justice would fail in meting out justice if it didn’t pronounce a fair sentence for a proven crime or if it unfairly punished the innocent. It would not extend mercy without first meeting the demands of justice based on the severity of the offence. We know, no justice system on earth is perfect. When a proven crime is not punished appropriately then that system is flawed or corrupt.

God is neither flawed nor corrupt. He is perfect justice and perfect mercy. So in his perfect justice, no sin can go unpunished. And only someone equal to God could make infinite reparation. And God has no equal.

So in his infinite mercy, God humbled himself and took on a human nature.

Now there’s no way we can know anything about the infinitely powerful God unless he reveals himself to us. ( One cannot know anything intimate about someone unless it is revealed)

According to Christianity, God is ONE in being and 3 in persons namely the Holy Trinity.

The second person of the Holy Trinity that is the Son entered his creation in the person of Jesus Christ.

Note: When we speak of Jesus as Son of God, we do not mean God produces sons like humans do. (The Trinity is the inner life of the One true God, 1 in Being ; 3 eternal persons)

Jesus Christ is perfect God and Perfect Man. (The union of the two natures of Jesus is called the hypostatic Union. Union of his divine and human nature in one person )

Since only someone equal to God with a human nature could satisfy God’s Justice against the sins of man. Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross (more than what was required–infinite mercy) is a perfect sacrifice to the Most Blessed Trinity for the sins of the humanity.

Since Jesus’ is both God and man his sacrifice makes salvation possible. And salvation is in Jesus alone. Salvation is FREE but not CHEAP. We still have a choice to make. To either follow him or go against him.

How did Jesus’ death paid the price for those not born yet?

The sacrifice of Jesus is not only of a man but of God. And because God is outside of time the sacrifice of Jesus can be applied to those who existed before the earthly life of Jesus as well as to those yet to come into existence until the end of time. (whenever they come into existence through this broken and imperfect world)

Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. All of Humanity.

But the story doesn’t end in his death.

The crucifixion of Jesus would mean nothing if Jesus did not rise from the dead. Jesus willingly accepted the unjust sentence, suffered grievously and died but his resurrection from the dead transforms everything.

By rising from the dead he vanquished eternal death for those that believe in and love God. He redeemed every kind of human suffering as he himself took on the most heinous of sufferings. Since God alone has power over death, Jesus’ rising from the dead opened the doors of eternal life for all human beings. Jesus death does not take away human suffering but rather makes suffering meritorious if suffered with the right disposition and united to the cross of Christ.

I hope my testimony and understanding of the faith helps you understand, even in a small way, the true meaning of Good Friday and Easter or Resurrection of the Lord. Peace and blessings of the once crucified but now gloriously risen Lord be with you and your families now and always!
Alleluia! Happy Easter!

What is Good Friday and why is it Good?

What is Good Friday and why is it Good?

On Good Friday we commemorate the passion, suffering and death of Jesus Christ. It is called Good because his death on the cross and eventual resurrection from the dead made salvation possible for the whole world.

If Jesus is God, how can anyone crucify him?

True! No one could even lay a finger at him without his freewill. He willingly entered into his passion and accepted death on a cross because his death would pay for the sins of the whole world.

God is the highest and most supreme being in the universe. ( Well, he is even beyond the universe) Any act of sin against him merits a punishment that corresponds to God’s nature. That would mean an infinite punishment namely hell.

God is infinite and perfect in all his qualities. He is infinitely Just which means he is JUSTICE himself. He is also infinitely merciful which means he is MERCY himself.

Man being a finite creature could in no way make reparation to God’s justice except through an infinite and eternal punishment namely: Hell.

God is LOVE and he desires the conversion of the sinner rather than his damnation. So in order to set man free of this eternal punishment which is man’s due, God took the punishment of man’s sins upon himself.

God is ONE in being and 3 in persons namely the Holy Trinity. [Father, Son and Holy Spirit]

The second person of the Holy Trinity that is the Son entered his creation and became man namely Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is perfect God and Perfect Man.

Since only someone equal to God could compensate for man’s eternal punishment. Jesus’ death on the cross is a perfect sacrifice to the Godhead of the Most Blessed Trinity for the sins of the whole world.

Since Jesus’ sacrifice makes salvation possible. Salvation is possible only through Jesus Christ. The gate of heaven is now open but you and I still have to make the decision to enter through this narrow Gate.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

How to Grow in Self-Confidence and Be Blessing to Those Around You….

Take that First Step: Make a Promise and Keep It!

From here on, vow to live life with more confidence, zeal and greater surety. Of course, this does not mean you must forgo humility. Humility is a virtue that pleases God the most.However, falling into the trap of false humility is no virtue hence having a healthy sense of self-esteem and confidence in one’s self is crucial to growing in self- confidence.

Growing in self-confidence also means facing your fears, and simply doing.

Self- confidence ought to serve a bigger goal. The bigger goal would ideally be that which meets the common good of all. So a healthy self-confidence is not for the sake of ‘self’ but rather to equip oneself with the ability to serve others.Now dealing with people is no easy task. There are all kinds of people in this world. Those with minds, views, outlook, worldviews, egos, formation, education, motives, interests etc. that are most likely very different from your own.

Not to mention people with inferiority complexes and a superiority complexes. This, in other words, is true self-confidence that missed the mark. Everyone’s trying to achieve ‘good’ for themselves but with lack of grace from above we all miss the mark.But in some sense this is what makes us human, this is the ‘human compost’ that we have to deal with.  And since humility is most pleasing to God, we could recognize the ingredients in ourselves that keeps us from achieving true ‘self-confidence’ and leaving us trapped in untruth and feeling a lack of fulfilment.

We can become a blessing to those around us when our formation, views, motives and interests and most importantly actions are geared towards the good of everyone. We bear in mind the common good based on truths about our human worth which comes from above.

So grow in self-confidence by doing. And do what you fear the most, you will experience the joy of conquering your ‘excuses’ and growing in self-confidence.

You’ll Be Fine …

You’ll Be Fine…

You’ll be fine dear
It’s just a matter of time
So don’t you whine
Because your heart will be full of cheer
And all that fear
Will just disappear
Because Love will Triumph
So trust me when I say,

You’ll Be Fine

You’ll be fine dear
You’ve got to believe
Don’t let that negative voice deceive
The enemy won’t care
And he’ll only take away blessings from your share
So that your soul won’t heal
Because he loves to steal
But that won’t happen when you guard your heart
Then you will thank God for a brand new start
So trust me when I say,

You’ll Be fine

You’ll be fine dear
Because your Lord is near
Don’t you remember his great promise?
To love you more than mothers who nurse their babies.
For how can it be that a mother forgets her very own,
It’s impossible to think they will leave you disowned
But even if they do,
Your Master says “I will never abandon you”
So fight the good fight, until you win
And store your treasures, where no thieves can get in.
Take heart, my dear!
Right now, right here…
Cause you’ll be fine.

Courage Dear Heart, Courage!

Courage Dear heart, Courage!

The road ahead may be full of darkness,
But I will give you a reason to not become hopeless.
You see, even though the Earth may be dark,
It is only the darkest just before the dawn
So keep moving on …
With Courage and tenacity
Because when the Sun shines forth with splendor and majesty,
Its brilliant rays will wipe out all your iniquity.
And once again, all the darkness will be dispelled
Oh Dear Heart, the author of Love will come to you and dwell.

Courage Dear Heart, Courage!

It is your Lord’s command!
Because the heart of your Creator is not far from you,
In the valley of darkness; he is closest to you
He knows every beating of your being
And in his plan you will find meaning.
Every pain and suffering you endure,
Will only make you beautiful and pure.
And when your light will shine forth before all men…
The Glory of the Father will overshadow you
And you will receive favor from his mighty hand!

Courage Dear Heart, Courage!

Small though you may be, in the universe’s realm
But know that your name is carved in the highest Heaven
So open yourself to Love once again
And come out into the world because you were not made for pain
You were made for Love,
And it is from you that all Love flows to the other.
So as you keep beating there will be life,
With merry and rejoicing,
There’ll be angels dancing in the skies.
So Courage Dear Heart, Courage!
Because the Light will soon dispel the darkness!