One major thing why I value Easter celebration a lot is that it comes with much reflection and spiritual exercises. There is a 40-day praying and fasting; there are stations of the cross for the Catholics where we meditate on the journey of Jesus to the cross; there is Palm Sunday and then the Holy Week prior to Easter Sunday, just like today.
All these exercises are deep, and no one will journey through them all diligently and still remain the same. Easter celebration to me is beyond dining with family and friends. It's an important season in my life as a Christian, and I think I have become more intentional with this season than I used to be over the past years. The 40 days of fasting weren't easy, even though I didn't observe the fast each day for a long period of time, I kept being more sensitive with my spiritual life during the course of the fasting. I saw myself craving to study the scripture more. I saw myself always praising and worshiping God not only when I am set to pray but always during the day. I saw myself being closer to my creator. Everything has been happening in an unusual way, and I love the whole experience.
I didn't only observe these spiritual exercises myself alone but involved my children actively, guiding them to my faith in God, and obviously, they loved the experience too. The part that caught their attention so much was the Good Friday celebration. The youth in our church had 2 months of passion play rehearsals where they demonstrated practically all the suffering Jesus went through before he died on the cross. The drama was so emotional. I practically saw a lot of our church members crying while the youth were acting with passion. If you really reflect on the sacrifices Jesus made, then you will understand that it's not just a casual cry. The beating, the vinegar, and all manner of ill treatment given to Jesus many decades ago, as we read in the scripture, were demonstrated, and my kids kept asking me lots of questions concerning all, and I was happy to clarify them. Now, they are being conscious of the way they live their lives, hahaha. They were like, Let me not lie or fight again so that Jesus will not suffer because of my sin, lol.
Overall, it's been a journey with lovely experiences, and I hope the impact remains in our lives as a family.
Tomorrow, we will be celebrating GALILEE DAY! Every Monday after Easter Sunday is usually a Galilee day celebration where we eat and dine together in our church with fellow parishioners and have fun with different games. An experience I don't like missing for anything. People cook different delicacies from their various homes and bring them to the church. Everyone can eat from any table of their choice; it's usually exciting and, in a way, strengthens the bond we have with each other.
Hopefully, I will capture the moment and share my experience here on Hive after the event.
Images were taken from canva