Pilgrims to Jerusalem visit what is purported to be the tomb where Jesus was buried before the stone was rolled away the third day after his crucifixion on the cross.
Did you know that Easter eggs are a symbol of the empty tomb?
Easter is early this year (March 31, 2024). It's a moveable feast, not falling on a fixed date, but its date computed based on a lunisolar calendar - the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after March 21st (the vernal equinox and first day of Spring.)
Did you know that the modern English term Easter comes from a Germanic spring goddess named Ēostre? Spring marks the recurring cycle of new life after winter.
Ilia Delio discusses with Matthew Fox the viability of contemporary religious institutions in an evolutionary world, in the Center for Christogenesis' November 6, 2023 'Hunger for Wholeness' podcast, What Lies Beyond Death and Institutions.
"One of the things that's kind of ironic is that for a spiritual tradition such as Christianity, which has the cross at the heart of the tradition (which is about death, followed by resurrection or new life), that it's not modeled institutionally..."
Ilia goes on to say...
"The whole of evolution runs on death and new life. Things die so there is room for new life to emerge. So one of the worst things we can do is to try to keep holding on (whether it be personally or institutionally) to what has always been! We live in a finite world, so you can't hold on to things that are changing all the time."
"There is something about Christianity that’s deeply creation-centered and deeply incarnation, with a God who gets involved with materiality; a God who is okay with change and chaos; a God who is unconditional in love. I think there is a lot of hope in this tradition… I would love Christianity to have this new, living, energy of faith - one that energizes us and gives us hope.
"But we have a deep, existential fear of death. I think a lot of people think there’s really nothing after this life - you know, when I die, that’s it!" We have an eschatological crisis. We don’t have any real sense of anything beyond this finite, mortal world."
"The gospels talk about a resurrected body or a new spiritual body and I think there is something about life that endures infinitely! It will change form for sure. Maybe we become part of this cosmic whole? Maybe the word 'God" symbolizes this immense, infinite cosmic energy of love and consciousness, and we are part of life elsewhere in the cosmos?"
"Because we fear death so, we hold on to our institutions, our stuff, and our ideas - that's part and parcel of our environmental crisis today!
"Our attention is not directed toward our deep interconnectedness. I think if we had a robust sense of belonging to a whole, energized by the power of love, presence, and interconnectivity we would not fear death! We would know that 'what we’re about here on earth' will be everlasting in the organic, wholeness of life."