Isn't it wonderful that it's spring? I have been outside all week, enjoying the tiniest of wildflowers and the brilliant green of my woods. Doug, the chipmunk named by our granddaughter, has been boldly darting from deck to spilled bird seed. He is by far the cutest rodent we have ever seen. He was a regular last year and we were so glad when he emerged from hibernation. Did you know that chipmunks make refuse tunnels so that their sleeping quarters are clean? We've been rooting for him against the hawks that circle.
Plus Easter and Passover. What could be better? Two Holy Days commemorating great events in each religion: the Resurrection of our Lord for those who are Christian and the deliverance from slavery in Egypt for those who are Jewish--two days with ancient origins.
Passover always falls on a Full Moon because of its place in the Hebrew calendar. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. If the first full moon falls on a Sunday then that day is Palm Sunday and the next is Easter. This year Good Friday falls on the same day as Passover. Sometimes I have been privileged to celebrate both. There can't be a better beginning to the Easter Passion.
Obviously these are not historical dates, but that's just fine. I suspect that those who believe, of whatever faith, are not looking for literal confirmation of acts of religious significance. Did deliverance actually occur when the moon was full? Maybe. It makes sense. But does it matter? We have been given faith as a gift, and as our heritage. There are pagan antecedents of Christmas too. Religion finds its place in the community. It has for centuries.
So the two combine--spring and Easter. New life and resurrected life. Every year, in greens and yellows and purples, we see the manifestation of John Donne's statement: "Death thou shalt die." It's in my yard and in yours. Amen. Nina Naomi
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